ChatGPT Undermines Critical Thinking Skills If Its Not Used Ethically

Artificial Intelligence just got alarmingly good. 

The Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer chatbot was unveiled to the world on Nov. 30. 

Created by OpenAI, an artificial intelligence research laboratory, ChatGPT generates responses to questions based on algorithms and text data. Since its release, millions have flocked to test its intelligence. 

The results? It’s smarter than you think. 

So smart that students are using it to write essays and cheat on exams. You can ask the AI tool  

anything and it instantly delivers answers that can be as long and detailed as you wish.

In the past month, several classmates have told me how they have utilized ChatGPT to complete school assignments or other tasks. 

While AI is here to help humanity, the way most students are using ChatGPT is undermining critical thinking.

Why spend hours reading and studying different academic disciplines to develop a refined view of the world when all you have to do is have an AI think for you? 

Aside from undermining education, continuing to use ChatGPT in the wrong way invalidates academic achievements and creates a generation of people who lack problem-solving skills that are refined through learning and thinking for ourselves. 

The platform has begun to receive backlash. This month, the Department of Education in New York banned the platform in all New York City public schools. 

While that is a step in the right direction toward controlling ChatGPT, it’s ultimately the equivalent of killing a fly with a hammer. 

ChatGPT is a new form of AI and we must develop an understanding of it to use it effectively while addressing rising challenges. 

Instead of banning or letting the platform run amok, we should strive to teach students and the general public about what ChatGPT is and how it can be used ethically to make our lives easier. 

After all, the chatbot can help us learn anything by providing us with the right resources and giving us simple and digestible explanations of complex topics. 

The tool can also help us become better learners by giving us useful feedback. I’ve used the AI frequently to ensure my writing is accurate and carries my intended tone.

If used properly, it’s clear ChatGPT can make our life easier without killing our ability to think for ourselves.

Instead of condemning this new revolutionary technology, what we need to do as a society is promote the responsible use of AI to ensure we maximize its benefits and minimize its harms. 

After all, with great power comes great responsibility.