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Generative AI and the Development of Critical Thinking Skills
Subject area: Science,Engineering and Technology · Area of research: Generative Artificial Intelligence
Abstract
Generative AI continues to grow in its ability to generate content that is largely accurate and believable. While these capabilities have their clear benefits and advantages there are also growing concerns on the increase in its misuse in many contexts. A key worrying trend in these misuse scenarios is the lack of a critical evaluation of Generative AI content with some users using it ?as is? without giving much thought to its accuracy, logic, practicality, completeness and ethical soundness. This study examined the relationship between Generative AI and the development of critical thinking. This work established that Generative AI can be both a danger as well as an enabler of critical thinking. It also established that Critical Thinking is required for the development and user of Generative AI. It further established that Critical Thinking skills can be developed using Generative AI through systematic and in-depth questioning of the outputs of the tools in use. The idea of questioning is premised on the knowledge and acceptance that GenAI outputs are prone to inaccuracy, hallucinations and bias among other challenges that make them unsuitable for acceptance without questioning.
Keywords
Generative AI, Critical Thinking, Foundation Models, Hallucination, Bias, Questioning, Evaluation
References
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How to cite this paper
@article{1705580,
author = {Moses Mwangi Thiga},
title = {Generative AI and the Development of Critical Thinking Skills},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2024},
volume = {7},
number = {9},
pages = {83-90},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1705580.pdf},
abstract = {Generative AI continues to grow in its ability to generate content that is largely accurate and believable. While these capabilities have their clear benefits and advantages there are also growing concerns on the increase in its misuse in many contexts. A key worrying trend in these misuse scenarios is the lack of a critical evaluation of Generative AI content with some users using it ?as is? without giving much thought to its accuracy, logic, practicality, completeness and ethical soundness. This study examined the relationship between Generative AI and the development of critical thinking. This work established that Generative AI can be both a danger as well as an enabler of critical thinking. It also established that Critical Thinking is required for the development and user of Generative AI. It further established that Critical Thinking skills can be developed using Generative AI through systematic and in-depth questioning of the outputs of the tools in use. The idea of questioning is premised on the knowledge and acceptance that GenAI outputs are prone to inaccuracy, hallucinations and bias among other challenges that make them unsuitable for acceptance without questioning.},
keywords = {Generative AI, Critical Thinking, Foundation Models, Hallucination, Bias, Questioning, Evaluation},
month = {March},
}