Over-reliance on AI dialogue systems reduces students' critical and analytical thinking skills, especially when they become overly dependent on AI-generated content¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · review r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2024 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Across the reviewed studies, AI tools aid efficiency but often lead to reduced critical and analytical thinking skills when students become overly dependent on AI-generated content. → Chunpeng Zhai 2024

Evidence¶

Chunpeng Zhai 2024¶

Chunpeng Zhai, Santoso Wibowo and Lily D. Li. (2024). The effects of over-reliance on AI dialogue systems on students' cognitive abilities: a systematic review. Smart Learning Environments. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-024-00316-7

q2 · i? · review · r2

Systematic review synthesis answering research question 1, integrating findings from a 14-article review of over-reliance on AI dialogue systems in educational and research contexts (academic writing in college and higher education among them, alongside medical education and other applications). The review reports this dual impact: tools "enhance writing proficiency, boost self-confidence, and streamline research tasks" while introducing risks of diminished creativity and over-reliance.

"Studies highlight that although AI tools can aid decision-making and improve efficiency, they often lead to reduced critical and analytical thinking skills, especially when students become overly dependent on AI-generated content."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Critical Thinking — outcome: instruction changes it

Related Claims¶

• Meta-reviews reach contradictory conclusions on whether AI reliance harms or helps critical thinking, with substantial design limitations limiting generalizability — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it
• A systematic review reports that over-reliance on AI dialogue systems fosters complacency and dependency and may weaken students' decision-making — related
• The review reports some evidence that over-dependence on AI contributes to cognitive offloading and decreased independent reasoning, while guided AI use can be helpful — related
• Among 245 Indonesian undergraduates, majorities reported concern about reduced critical thinking when depending on AI (75%), excessive reliance (73%), misinformation (70%) and unintentional plagiarism (69%), and 40% about algorithmic bias — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Over-reliance on GAI risks weakening teaching and social presence and depriving students of foundational skill development — related
• Nursing students and faculty report concerns that AI use may weaken critical thinking, enable plagiarism and misinformation, and create unequal access — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• GenAI shows a dual-mechanism profile: meta-analytic learning benefits coexist with dependence-related costs to critical thinking — related
• Systematic review of 43 investigations finds no consistent evidence that higher education produces more critical analytic ways of thinking — related
• Positive LLM tutor perceptions do not necessarily translate to learning gains, creating an over-reliance risk — related
• System-controlled adaptive instruction does not necessarily yield higher transfer than nonadaptive static approaches — related
• Generative AI tools risk inducing overestimated abilities and diminishing training of foundational skills — related