Artificial Intelligence tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude can summarize articles, generate outlines, analyze arguments, and even write essays.

But that creates a big question for teachers, students, and lifelong learners: If AI can do these things… do people still need to learn how?

The short answer is yes, more than ever.

The goal isn’t to compete with AI.
The goal is to develop human judgment so we can use AI wisely instead of blindly trusting it.

To understand this, we need to break down what critical thinking actually is.

The Building Blocks of Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is not one big skill.

It is actually a set of smaller thinking skills that build on top of each other.

Think of it like learning music or sports: You don’t start by performing a symphony. You start with scales and drills. 

Here are the foundational skills.

1. Summarizing 

Summarizing means explaining something in your own words, using fewer words.

Example:

Original idea:
Artificial intelligence tools can assist with research but require human judgment to verify accuracy.

 Summary:
AI helps with research but humans must check if it's correct.

Why this matters: 
If you cannot summarize something, it usually means you didn’t fully understand it.

2. Outlining

Outlining means organizing ideas into a clear structure.

Example:

Topic: Climate change article

Outline:

• What climate change is
• What causes it
• Evidence scientists use
• Possible solutions

Why this matters: Outlining helps the brain see how ideas connect.

3. Listening Carefully and Taking Notes

This skill sounds simple, but it is extremely powerful.

Good note-taking requires you to:

• Pay attention
• Identify important ideas
• Capture them quickly

Without this skill, students often miss key concepts completely.

4. Brainstorming

Brainstorming is the ability to generate multiple ideas quickly.

Example:

Question: How could a school reduce food waste?

Brainstorm answers:

• Smaller portions
• Composting programs
• Donation systems
• Menu planning

Brainstorming helps people think creatively before choosing the best idea.

5. Identifying an Argument

Many people confuse opinions with arguments.

An argument has three parts:

1. A claim
2. Evidence
3. Reasoning

Example:

Claim: Students should learn AI skills in school.

Evidence: Many jobs now require AI literacy.

Reasoning: Schools prepare students for future careers.

Recognizing arguments is essential for understanding news, research, and debates.

6. Analyzing and Evaluating Arguments

Once you understand an argument, the next step is asking:

• Is the evidence strong?
• Are there missing facts?
• Is there bias?

This is the stage where true critical thinking begins.

7. Reflecting on Bias

Every human has biases.

Bias simply means a tendency to believe something because of our experiences, culture, or emotions.

Examples:

• Political bias
• Cultural bias
• Confirmation bias (believing things that confirm what we already think)

Critical thinkers learn to ask:

Am I believing this because it is true, or because it matches what I want to believe? 

8. Developing Self-Awareness

Critical thinking also requires asking:

• What do I believe?
• Why do I believe it?
• What evidence supports it?

This level of reflection helps people separate facts from assumptions.

The AI Challenge

Today, AI tools can perform many of these tasks.

For example, AI can:

• summarize articles
• generate outlines
• analyze arguments
• write essays

But here is the problem:

AI can produce outputs that look like critical thinking without actually thinking.

If students rely on AI before learning the basics, they may skip the mental work required to truly understand ideas.

That’s why foundational skills are still essential.

A Classic Skill Worth Rediscovering: Precis Writing

In many schools decades ago, students practiced something called precis writing.

A precis is more than a summary.

It requires students to:

• read carefully
• understand the main argument
• remove unnecessary details
• restate the core idea clearly

This process trains the brain to distill complex information into its essence.

Even though AI can generate summaries instantly, the mental process of creating a precis builds deep comprehension.

Why Practicing Without AI Still Matters

Some critical thinking exercises should not use AI tools at all.

Why?

Because the purpose of the exercise is training the brain, not producing a polished output.

Just like:

• calculators didn't eliminate learning math
• spellcheck didn't eliminate learning spelling

AI should augment thinking, not replace it.

A Better Goal: Human + AI Thinking

Instead of banning AI completely, the goal should be balanced learning.

Students should practice both:

Human-only thinking

Examples:

• writing summaries from memory
• outlining readings manually
• debating arguments in class

AI-assisted thinking

Examples:

• comparing their summary to an AI summary
• asking AI to challenge their argument
• using AI to explore alternative perspectives

This teaches students to work with AI while maintaining independent judgment.