AI AND CRITICAL THINKING: CAN TECHNOLOGY HELP STUDENTS THINK BETTER?

Abstract

The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, particularly generative large language models such as ChatGPT, into higher education has intensified debate over their effect on students' critical thinking. This article presents a narrative literature review that synthesizes recent empirical and theoretical work (2020–2025) on the relationship between AI tool use and critical thinking development, organized through Facione's (1990) model of critical thinking skills and Anderson and Krathwohl's (2001) revision of Bloom's taxonomy. The review indicates that AI's influence on critical thinking is neither uniformly positive nor uniformly negative but is conditional on how the technology is used. When AI functions as a scaffold that structures inquiry, prompts reflection, and requires learners to verify and justify outputs, it is associated with gains in argumentation, evaluation, and metacognitive awareness. When AI functions as a substitute for independent reasoning, its use is associated with cognitive offloading, reduced neural engagement, and a decline in measured critical thinking scores. The article concludes that AI can help students think better only under deliberate pedagogical conditions and proposes directions for instructional design, assessment, and future research.