the impact of Artificial intelligence on the Developement of natural critical thinking skills

Abstract

The new technological advancements in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) have led it to its adaptation into various fields, including learning. There is a growing interest in understanding how AI influences learners’ natural critical thinking skills in EFL contexts. Therefore, this research aims to investigate the influence of artificial intelligence tools on the development of critical thinking skills. The current research seeks to examine the effects of AI on critical thinking of learners, determine the frequency of AI tools usage in EFL classrooms, and the common used AI tools among EFL learners. The data is collected through a printed questionnaire that was administered to 93 third-year EFL learners at Mila University, an interview which was conducted with six teachers and a classroom observation at the same university. The results of the study show that artificial intelligence helps learners develop their critical thinking skills when learners analyse, synthesise, interpret and evaluate AI outputs. However, their excessive reliance on AI tools decreases the development of these skills by reducing their independent thinking, weakening their cognitive engagement, and automatically accepting AI ideas. Learners frequently use AI in different areas, and the most commonly used AI tools are writing assistance and translation tools.