The objective is not to eliminate the use of AI, but to avoid unreflective “prompt-and-paste” practices. Intentional use—actively evaluating and revising generated output—is necessary to prevent cognitive debt that may weaken memory and reasoning processes.
Copy-paste behavior: Researchers have observed that many AI users had shifted toward low-effort interaction, primarily copying default responses with minimal modification.
Critical thinking may be understood through the analogy of physical training: when an exoskeleton performs the lifting, muscular capacity declines. Likewise, when AI bypasses the productive struggle involved in brainstorming, outlining, and synthesizing information, the neural pathways supporting these cognitive skills may weaken.
When students rely heavily on AI chatbots, their cognitive engagement is reduced compared with individuals working independently. Over time, users may become increasingly dependent on the tool, often defaulting to copy-paste strategies rather than generating original reasoning.
As with physical capacity, critical thinking deteriorates when the effort of generating, organizing, and synthesizing ideas is consistently outsourced. More broadly, habitual reliance on externally provided frameworks of interpretation—particularly during moments of uncertainty or stress—can reduce reflective analysis and increase susceptibility to external influence.