The importance of Critical and Creative Thinking when using AI

A useful answer still needs your judgement #

AI can help draft an explanation, suggest a concept or compare options. A fluent response does not establish that its claims are accurate, its assumptions fit your situation or its idea is worth pursuing. Your role is to decide what problem matters and what a useful result should achieve.

Critical thinking: question the answer #

Critical thinking means examining a claim and the reasons for accepting it. When using AI, pause before treating a suggestion as a conclusion. Check the important details against original evidence and your actual circumstances.

• What is the claim, and what evidence supports it?
• Which assumptions has the response made?
• What information, perspective or alternative is missing?
• What would make me change my mind?
• Can I explain why I accept, revise or reject this answer?

Creative thinking: open up the possibilities #

Creative thinking involves exploring different ways to understand and respond to a problem. Use AI to help explore alternatives, then develop ideas with your own knowledge of the audience and context. Several variations of the same idea are not necessarily different approaches.

• Write down your own initial ideas before asking AI.
• Request approaches that differ in purpose, format or underlying assumption.
• Look for an unexpected connection and explain why it might be useful.
• Combine and reshape suggestions rather than selecting one unchanged.
• Judge an idea for both originality and usefulness in the situation.

Explore first, then evaluate #

Give exploration and evaluation their own space. Generate a range of possibilities before narrowing the choice. Then compare them against clear criteria. Return to exploration when none of the options addresses the problem well. This is a practical exercise rather than a guaranteed formula.

TASK: Plan a short workshop that helps students question AI-generated claims.

EXPLORE: Suggest three genuinely different activities: a source investigation, a debate and a production exercise. Describe how students would participate.

EVALUATE: Compare the activities for learning value, accessibility, time and resources. Identify assumptions and what still needs checking.

DECIDE: I will choose or adapt an activity and explain my reasons. Do not invent evidence of effectiveness.

A media example: develop the concept, test the claim #

Imagine preparing a campaign for a local business. Creative thinking helps you explore different stories and visual treatments. Critical thinking helps you check whether the message fits the audience, whether a product claim has evidence and whether the production is feasible. A striking concept still needs a defensible message.

• Explore: propose three story directions with different audience insights.
• Challenge: identify stereotypes, unsupported claims and unclear assumptions.
• Verify: check factual claims with approved business information.
• Adapt: revise the concept for the actual budget and delivery format.
• Explain: record why you chose this direction over the alternatives.

What the research suggests #

A 2025 survey of 319 knowledge workers found that greater confidence in generative AI was associated with less self-reported critical-thinking effort. The study concerns reported behaviour and associations; it does not establish that AI causes lasting loss of thinking ability. It offers a reason to make deliberate review part of your practice.

Before you finish, ask yourself #

The final result should be something you understand and can take responsibility for. Keep a short reflection alongside work that matters.

What did I contribute beyond the AI response?
Which alternative did I seriously consider?
What did I verify, and what remains uncertain?
Why is this choice appropriate for this audience?
What would I improve next time?

Sources & further reading

• Lee et al. (CHI 2025) — The Impact of Generative AI on Critical Thinking ↗