Reynaldo C. Lugtu, Jr. l October 31, 2024 l Manila Bulletin
“You won’t be replaced by AI, you’ll be replaced by someone who knows how to use AI” – Harvard Business Review
The Philippines is one of the top five countries in the world for ChatGPT usage according to a recent report of Similarweb, showing just how much Filipinos are turning to this AI tool in their daily lives. The report revealed that, the country accounted for 3.30 percent of ChatGPT’s global traffic as of September 2024, ranking just behind the United States, India, Brazil, and Indonesia.
While this widespread adoption is a testament to the appeal and accessibility of generative AI, it doesn’t necessarily mean users are maximizing AI’s potential. The full power of tools like ChatGPT can only be unlocked through critical thinking, which allows users to evaluate, refine, and responsibly use AI-generated content. This approach is particularly urgent given challenges like the global rise of mathematical underachievement and poor critical thinking skills, issues that are reflected in the Philippines. Low critical thinking ability among Filipino students has contributed to low mathematical performance, underscoring the essential need for critical thinking skills across all uses of AI, especially generative tools.
Critical thinking is vital in engaging with generative AI, as these tools produce vast amounts of content based on complex algorithms and extensive datasets. Though often impressive, AI-generated outputs can be misleading, incomplete, or even erroneous. Users may take AI-generated content at face value without critical evaluation, potentially missing inaccuracies or unexamined assumptions. This passive approach limits AI’s educational value, particularly in subjects like mathematics, where critical thinking is essential to analyzing problems and finding solutions. By actively questioning AI-generated content, users can ensure they’re not passively accepting misinformation but instead engaging thoughtfully with the material, cross-checking facts, and evaluating the reasoning in AI-generated outputs.
The need for critical thinking becomes obvious when considering the biases that generative AI can carry. These biases arise from the data on which the AI is trained, reflecting a range of human experiences, preferences, and, unfortunately, prejudices. Tools like ChatGPT can inadvertently reinforce these biases, producing outputs containing stereotypical perspectives or skewed interpretations. For instance, if an AI model is trained on data consistently reflecting specific stereotypes, it may generate responses that subtly perpetuate these biases. A critical thinker will recognize this risk and scrutinize the AI’s responses, identifying and challenging any underlying biases to promote fairness and inclusivity in AI use.
Ethical considerations also require a critical approach when using generative AI. As these tools become more accessible and powerful, the potential for misuse grows. People can employ AI to produce convincing but false information, from deepfake videos to fabricated articles, raising significant ethical concerns. Here, critical thinking helps users anticipate the consequences of their AI use and make informed decisions about deploying AI content responsibly. This approach emphasizes considering potential outcomes and how AI-generated content impacts individuals and society. Ethical AI use requires us to actively weigh these impacts, ensuring that AI is used constructively rather than exploitatively.
Beyond ethics, critical thinking plays a significant role in creatively harnessing AI’s capabilities. While AI can generate content quickly, the actual value lies in how users interpret, adapt, and build upon it. A passive approach may replicate what the AI has generated, but a critical mindset empowers users to experiment and innovate further. For example, an artist using generative AI to create images might analyze the AI’s suggestions, refining or combining elements to align with their unique creative vision. This critical approach transforms AI from a tool that merely replicates patterns to one that actively supports human ingenuity.
In educational settings, where issues like mathematical underachievement are pervasive, critical thinking skills are crucial to avoid overreliance on AI and to foster independent thought among students. Generative AI provides students new ways to explore subjects, but without a critical mindset, students may miss opportunities to strengthen their problem-solving skills. For instance, overreliance on AI in mathematics could prevent students from deeply understanding fundamental concepts. Educators, too, must approach AI thoughtfully, integrating it in a way that complements traditional learning methods rather than replacing them. This balanced approach helps students benefit from AI’s capabilities while developing the analytical skills essential for personal and intellectual growth.
Critical thinking also plays a role in the development of AI itself. Users who critically engage with AI can provide valuable feedback to developers, highlighting flaws, suggesting improvements, and helping to ensure that AI evolves in ways aligned with human values. This active collaboration keeps the development process transparent and guided, preventing AI from becoming an unchecked “black box.” By remaining actively involved, users help shape AI into a tool that responds to and respects human values and societal needs.
Ultimately, while the Philippines’ high ranking in ChatGPT usage reflects generative AI’s popularity, the ability to think critically about AI’s outputs is essential to maximizing its benefits. This skill is vital when confronting educational challenges like low math and science performance, where critical thinking is a crucial component to understanding and overcoming such barriers. In fostering a questioning, analytical approach, users can unlock AI’s benefits while promoting creative, ethical, and innovative uses that address core challenges and inspire growth. The actual value of generative AI lies not in its widespread use alone but in how thoughtfully we engage with it, ensuring it enhances our pursuit of knowledge, creativity, and ethical progress.
*** The author is the Founder and CEO of Hungry Workhorse, a digital and culture transformation consulting firm. He is a Fellow at the US-based Institute for Digital Transformation. He teaches strategic management in the MBA Program of De La Salle University. The author may be emailed at rey.lugtu@hungryworkhorse.com
The views and opinions expressed above are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of FINEX. Photo from Pinterest.