The increasing adoption of AI in academic research has sparked discussions about its impact on our ability to think critically. Are tools like ChatGPT helping or hurting our ability to learn and reason (i.e., to be critical thinkers) or making us over-reliant on automation?
This is especially relevant for students and early-career researchers who use AI tools for academic writing to reduce workload and save time. But before we go further, take a moment to think about how you work: Is AI making you a stronger critical thinker?
For academics, strong critical thinking skills are essential to grow and succeed, but what does this mean? Psychologist Daniel Willingham defines critical thinking as a reasoning process that is novel, self-directed, and effective. And as Carl Sagan famously noted, “Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge.”
In a world increasingly shaped by human-AI collaboration in research, these principles remain more important than ever. That’s why Paperpal hosted a webinar on “Critical Thinking in the Age of AI” to explore how students and researchers can continue thinking deeply and independently—while still leveraging AI responsibly.
AI and Critical Thinking: A Four-Stage Approach
As AI becomes more integrated into academic workflows, you constantly need to choose between outsourcing your thinking to AI tools (relying on it to generate complete answers or arguments) or using them in an assistive capacity (where AI enhances our reasoning skills without replacing it). While outsourcing to AI may seem faster and more convenient, it risks producing work that is uncritical, context-blind, or factually weak. On the other hand, using AI as an assistive tool to generate ideas, understand perspectives, or suggest sources, ensures you are in control of interpretation, argumentation, and ethical decision-making.
Let’s compare two researchers studying publishing models:
Among these, Researcher B embodies the ideal model of AI and scholarly reasoning. The use of AI here is both responsible and aligned with the values of academic integrity: original thought, evidence-based reasoning, and deep understanding. In short, AI can sharpen your critical thinking skills but should never replace it.
At Paperpal, we’re building AI tools that align with this vision. From finding references, writing faster, citing accurately, and perfecting your language, Paperpal empowers researchers by enabling them to use AI to think better, not less!
Prompt engineering for academics is not just a technical skill, it’s a new form of academic literacy. A vague query returns generic responses, often unusable without further follow-ups. A specific, well-framed prompt that clearly explain your expectations allows the AI to generate meaningful insights and responses that meets your needs.
Take the following example:
❌ “What is quantum entanglement?”
✅ “Summarize three post-2010 studies on quantum entanglement, with DOIs, covering differing viewpoints.”
By mastering prompts, you not only control the quality of AI output but ensure it fits into your workflow ethically and effectively. While this is critical to get the best results from tools like ChatGPT, Paperpal doesn’t require you to be a prompt expert. With in-built prompts and contextual questions to streamline the flow, it helps you effectively write and engage with scholarly content.
For students, researchers and other academics, Paperpal recommends a simple three-step framework to improve your critical thinking with AI.
Learn: Continue building your own body of knowledge and skills, even if it is seemingly something that a computer could do for you. This foundational understanding will provide you with the skills needed to make meaningful connections and form original ideas that go beyond what even sophisticated generative AI tools like ChatGPT can produce.
Evaluate: Put the critical in the idea of “critical thinking.” It is well known that generative AI tools can hallucinate, particularly when it comes to the latest research. Whether it’s a news article, YouTube video, newsletter, or corporate strategy document, use healthy skepticism and be sure to seek out additional sources for claims you see, particularly those that seem too good to be true.
Reflect: After using AI, reflect on the process and results. For example, if you are using AI to help you craft a persuasive message (like a marketing email or LinkedIn post), ask yourself: Did it produce the desired results? Which parts aligned with your thinking and which didn’t? The final, and often missing point, in the key steps to think critically when using AI tools, this reflection makes you a stronger critical thinker when interacting with AI tools.
Critical thinking is not simply a checkbox; it is a mindset. And AI and critical thinking need not be mutually exclusive. When used well, AI becomes a thought partner, accelerating workflows, and clarifying ideas. But the actual thinking and then any research writing with AI must still be led by you—humans can bring in original ideas, expertise, and perspectives.
In the session by Paperpal, we explored how frameworks for critical thinking with AI are essential to academic integrity. Whether you’re a student, researchers, faculty member, or academic professional, honing your critical thinking and knowing how to write with AI responsibly are skills worth mastering.
Watch the full webinar for more use cases, audience questions, and examples.
Download the slides to revisit our step-by-step framework.
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