6 Critical thinking
Critical thinking enhances your ability to analyse and evaluate information. These skills are key for making informed decisions, solving problems, and nurturing creativity. When you’re using a reasoning engine or generative AI, critical thinking helps assess the engine’s output. This assessment helps ensure logical and well-founded conclusions while spotting bias and validating accuracy.
The following video explores the importance of critical thinking when you’re engaging with AI. The video provides practical tips on verifying sources, questioning content, and ensuring the ethical use of AI to create accurate and responsible content.
Download this video clip.Video player: Video 7
Transcript: Video 7
Voice-over:
Imagine you are writing an article or creating a project, and you have Microsoft Copilot at your fingertips to help you through this process.
It is convenient and helpful. But it is critical to pause and ponder: How do you move through Copilot’s suggestions to find the gems of truth and relevance?
Well, through critical thinking.
Critical thinking is the art of analysing and evaluating information to make better decisions.
Whether it is reading the news, shopping online, or using Copilot, critical thinking helps us navigate the flood of information.
Even with a well-crafted prompt, it is important to critically assess the response from Copilot.
AI is as good as the data it is trained on.
While AI does discriminate, algorithmic bias can inadvertently to an imperfect response.
Using critical thinking skills can help you spot any inaccuracies in the response and improve the content Copilot generates.
Let’s explore some practical tips on how to use critical thinking skills while using Copilot.
Accuracy is vital.
Always verify the facts and sources that Copilot cites.
To ensure the information shared from Copilot is reliable and accurate, you can review the sources at the end of response.
If sources are not provided, feel free to request them from Copilot following its initial reply to your query.
Let’s look at an example.
‘Provide a comprehensive summary of the most recent advancements in sustainability, focusing on innovative practices, emerging technologies, and research findings that are shaping the future of sustainable development.’ As you can see, Copilot provided us with the latest on this topic and a ‘learn more’ section which provides where this information is sourced.
You can also request that Copilot retrieves information exclusively from certain sources. For instance, if you prefer sources with domains ending in .org or .edu for their educational or organizational credibility, you can specify this requirement when asking Copilot for information.
‘Only source information for this query from .org sites.’
Copilot went back and only referenced information from domains ending in .org. By selecting the provided links, you can access the original sources to further explore the content.
Curiosity leads to clarity. Question the purpose, audience, and reliability of the content.
Some practical examples. Purpose What is the main goal of this content? What message is the content trying to convey? Is the content intended to inform, persuade, entertain or sell?
Audience Who is the intended audience for this content? How does the content address the needs or interests of its audience? Is the language and tone appropriate for the target audience?
Reliability What are the sources of the information presented in the content? Are the sources credible? Is there evidence of bias or conflict of interest in the content?
It is through questioning that we deepen our understanding and are able to critically comprehend the information further.
Diversity in perspectives enriches our insights.
It is also important to compare the responses from Copilot to similar prompt entries to ensure consistency and relevance.
Ethical use is non-negotiable.
Make sure to follow content policies to use AI tools ethically and safely.
Lastly, stay informed. Laws and regulations evolve, and so should our practices in AI content creation.
Crafting an effective prompt is just the beginning; we must also critically evaluate the response from any generative AI experience, like Copilot.
By doing so, we can ensure that the content we create and share is accurate, fair and responsible.
Video 7
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Critical thinking is vital for effectively using reasoning engines like Copilot. Here’s how it helps:
- Evaluating information: Helps assess the accuracy and relevance of information and identify credible sources.
- Making informed decisions: Enables you to weigh the pros and cons of Copilot suggestions.
- Problem-solving: Helps you fully understand issues and implement solutions.
- Avoiding bias: Recognizes and reduces biases in AI outputs.
- Enhancing creativity: Challenges assumptions and explores new perspectives.
- Communicating effectively: Helps ensure clear communication with Copilot.
Developing critical thinking skills improves results from Copilot, aids informed decision-making, promotes constructive engagement, and fosters better personal and professional outcomes. It also contributes to a more united, tolerant, and innovative society.