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It can be enthralling to watch artificial intelligence models progress toward a mastery of deep learning. But are we as equally invested in our own abilities to think and learn? The human capacity to think deeply, find meaning, and apply wisdom is what makes us unique. Yet, it is increasingly tempting and easy to rely on the fast, accessible answers that AI provides. In a recent McKinsey study of organizations that use generative AI, only 27% said that employees review all content created by gen AI before it is used. One-third of respondents said that only 20% or less of gen-AI-produced content is checked before use. The antidote in this moment is critical thinking. Critical thinking is sometimes called careful thinking, as it involves questioning, interpretation, and discernment. Critical thinking is not always our default mode, and its already under siege from frequent AI usage. However, critical thinking skills can be taught. Moreover, according to our latest research, leaders with strong critical thinking skills have better outcomes, such as confidence in their ability to lead and lower burnout. Thinking Slow or Not at All Whether it’s a matter of being lazy or economical, humans dont think a lot if we dont have to. This isnt necessarily a bad thing. Researchers estimate that our conscious brains process information at a rate of 10 bits per second. (AI models process data at trillions of bits per second.) So, we conserve our limited mental horsepower for complex tasks rather than wasting it on simple or repetitive tasks. This is why we go into autopilot mode when we drive familiar routes or rely on mental shortcuts to make decisions. (For example, we are prone to judging a persons trustworthiness based on appearance instead of interactions.) Our slow brains have a new, fast friend called AI. Thats a good thing, right? It can be. AI can rapidly process vast amounts of information, recognize patterns that lie beyond human reach, and provoke us to consider new angles. AI-based tools will expand our understanding of business performance, team dynamics, market trends, and customer sentiment. But our new friend can also exacerbate our tendency for cognitive laziness. Remember those mental shortcuts we take? In one shortcut, we overtrust answers from automated systems and dont pay attention to contradictory information, even if its correct. As AI tools become even smarter and slickerand answers are delivered in highly confident tonesthis automation bias can grow. The downside to all of this is the risk of losing ones own capacity for thinking, learning, and reasoning. Guillaume Delacour, global head of people development at ABB, a technology leader in electrification and automation, spoke to us about the importance of critical thinking for leaders in the age of AI. One of the big benefits of AI is that it always has an answerbut this is also a major challenge,” he noted. “It can be too easy to accept the outcomes it generates. Good leaders have always needed critical thinking, but in our AI-enabled workplace, where every question has an instant answer, this skill is even more important. Are You a Strong Thinker? Critical thinking is the ability to evaluate situations objectively and make informed, well-reasoned decisions. It requires us to consider biases, question assumptions, and incorporate multiple perspectives. With critical thinking, its like your brain is doing a workout rather than just lounging on the couch. And, like a physical workout, critical thinking requires discipline, self-awareness, and effort. But the payoff is pretty significant. We recently assessed 227 leaders on their level of critical thinking and divided the group into high and low critical thinkers. We assessed how well each group is likely to operate in the new world of AI, as well as their overall experience as a leader. The differences are striking. Leaders Who Dont Think Will Struggle In a world in which answers can come fast and easily, leaders who score low on critical thinking are at greater risk of letting machines do the thinking for them and becoming increasingly less sharp. Low critical thinkers are 18% more likely to have confirmation bias than high critical thinkers. Confirmation bias is the tendency to look for or favor information that confirms our existing beliefs. Low critical thinkers are 32% more likely to over-rely on gen AI for answers. Low critical thinkers are 36% more likely to demonstrate cognitive failures. Cognitive failures are everyday lapses in memory or functioning during situations we normally are on top of, such as forgetting where you put the car keys. Leaders Who Think Will Thrive Strong critical thinkers have a protective shield against the threats of AI. Critical thinking balances the pull toward cognitive laziness and guards against our natural tendencies to accept and rely on what AI tells us. Moreover, these thinkers have a better experience as a leader. High critical thinkers rate themselves 14% higher than low critical thinkers on their ability to perform well in their roles. High critical thinkers rate themselves 13% higher than low critical thinkers on their ability to lead others effectively. High critical thinkers rate themselves 10% higher than low critical thinkers on their ability to lead confidently into the future. Additionally, high critical thinkers report 21% less burnout in their roles and 16% higher job satisfaction. In important ways, thinking can be a secret weapon for leaders, enabling them to be better at and happier in their jobs. Strengthening Your Thinking Muscle The encouraging news for leaders is that critical thinking is not a you have it, or you dont proposition. Each of us can be a critical thinker, but we need to intentionally rewire our relationship to thinking in order to cultivate this vital leadership skill. Here are a few things to try. Think about your thinking. In the course of a day or week, try taking a mental step back to observe how you think. You could ask yourself questions such as: What is a belief or assumption that I questioned? Did I change my mind about something important? Did I avoid any information because it challenged me? Did I feel uncomfortable in any ambiguous situations? The underlying skill you are practicing here is the ability to observe how you think and to discern what may be influencing your thoughts. Is there a past experience or possible bias that is playing a role? How much does stress or the need for speed factor in? Practice why questions. When looking at a situation, ask yourself why it happened, why it matters, and/or why a particular conclusion was reached. This habit encourages second looks and slows us down to uncover underlying assumptions, potential biases, and hidden logic. This approach not only deepens our understanding but also tretches our ability to evaluate information from multiple perspectives. Make AI your thinking partner. If we are not careful, our predisposition to cognitive laziness will drive us to pick the fast answers that come from AI models versus the deeper mental workout that comes from wrestling with complex ideas or considering underlying assumptions. But that doesnt mean AI cant play a role. When used well, AI tools can be very effective critical thinking coaches, nudging us to consider new angles or refine our arguments. Always make sure you challenge AI by asking questions such as: How did you come up with that result? Why should I believe that what you are suggesting is correct? What questions should I ask to improve my critical thinking? Bigger Comprehension Thinking has always set humans apartsomething to be taught, mastered, and celebrated. In 1914, IBM founder Thomas J. Watson declared THINK as the mantra for the struggling machine organization, saying I dont think has cost the world millions of dollars. We have arrived now at an incredible point when machines can think and learn in ways far surpassing human abilities. There are benefits to thisways in which AI can make us all smarter. The key is to stay alert and grounded in what is uniquely human: the ability to examine an answer with clarity, to grasp whats around and underneath it, and to connect it to a bigger comprehension of the world around us.
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The biggest technology game changers dont always grab the biggest headlines. Two emerging AI developments may not go viral on TikTok or YouTube, but they represent an inflection point that could radically accelerate the development of artificial general intelligence (AGI). Thats AI that can function and learn like us. Coming to our senses: WildFusion As humans, we rely on all sorts of stimuli to navigate in the world, including our senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, smell. Until now, AI devices have been solely reliant on a single sensevisual impressions. Brand-new research from Duke University goes beyond reliance only on visual perception. Its called WildFusion, combining vision with touch and vibration. The four-legged robot used by the research team includes microphones and tactile sensors in addition to the standard cameras commonly found in state-of-the-art robots. The WildFusion robot can use sound to assess the quality of a surface (dry leaves, wet sand) as well as pressure and resistance to calibrate its balance and stability. All of this data is gathered and combined or fused, into a single data representation that improves over time with experience. The research team plans enhance the robots capabilities by enabling it to gauge things like heat and humidity. As the types of data used to interact with the environment become richer and more integrated, AI moves inexorably closer to true AGI. Learning to learn The second underreported AI technology game changer comes from researchers at the universities of Surrey and Hamburg. While still in the early stages of development, this breakthrough allows robots that interact socially with humans (social robots) to train themselves with minimal human intervention. It achieves this by replicating what humans would visually focus on in complex social situations. For example, we learn over time as humans to look at a persons face when talking to them or to look at what they are pointing to rather than at their feet or off into space. But robots wont do that without being specifically trained. Until now, the training to refine behavior in robots was primarily reliant on constant human monitoring and supervision. This new innovative approach uses robotic simulations to track, monitor, and importantly, improve the quality of the robot interactions with minimal human involvement. Robots learn social skills without constant human oversight. This marks an important step forward in the overall advancement of social robotics and could prove to be a huge AGI accelerator. Self-teaching AI could lead to advancements at an exponential rate, a prospect some of us view as thrilling, others as chilling. AI signal over noise Amazing as they may be to watch, dancing humanoid robots and mechanical dogs can be characterized as narrow AIAI designed only for a specific task or purpose. The feats of these purpose-built tools are impressive. But these two new developments advance how AI experiences the world and how it learns from those experiences. They will dramatically change how technology exists (and coexists with us) in the world. Taken together, these breakthroughs and the work of other researchers and entrepreneurs along similar paths are resetting the trajectory and the timetable for achieving AGI. This could mark the tipping point that turns the slow march toward AGI into an all-out run.
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Whether weather is always on your radar or merely a passing front of occasional interest, having an on-demand eye on the world around you is one of the most powerful slices of sorcery you can set your sights on today. And this week, I want to introduce you to a worthwhile new weather app I recently encountered thats decidedly different from the others. It isnt meant to replace whatever weather app youre already using, whether thats the one that came preinstalled on your phone or another favorite youve found over time (maybe even one that serves up the forecast with a hilarious side of sass?). Rather, it serves one super-specific purposeand serves it impressively well. And it might just be worth your while to keep around as a complement to whatever other weather wesource resource youre using. Be the first to find all sorts of little-known tech treasures with my free Cool Tools newsletter from The Intelligence. One useful new discovery in your inbox every Wednesday! Your personal precipitation station Most weather apps aim to do it allto be your one-stop spot for every manner of weather info you could possibly wonder about. This weeks Cool Tool is more of a specialist. It does just one extremely specific weather-related thing, but good golly, does it do it well. The app is called Precip. Any guesses about its purpose? If you said it knits you sweaters whilst preparing delightfully steamy stews, (a) excellent guessbut (b) unfortunately, that isnt correct. Precip, as perhaps mightve been your next guess following sweaters n stew, measures the rain and other precipitation around you. It isnt offering up a forecast like most weather apps, in other words. Its actually telling you how much moisture came down in any given areaover any time period you want. And it lets you zoom into a narrow area for supremely detailed and precise info, too, even going down as far as to a specific address. Precip shows you precise precipitation totals for any area you open. Theres just one asterisk: Precips data is limited to the U.S. and Canada, at least for the time being. (Sorry, international pals!) If youre in one of those areas, though, itll take you all of a single minute to start using: For the best and most robust experience, youll want to snag the mobile appavailable on Android as well as on iOS. You can also check rainfall totals by zip code on the Precip website, but you wont be able to zoom in any further to exact locations or to access any of the more advanced data. In the apps, you can search by city, zip code, or street address, and you can see rain totals from the past 12, 24, or 48 hours. You can also save specific locations and then easily track their rain totals over time. You can track rain totals from locations down to a specific street address. Precip offers even more info as a part of its premium subscription, for 20 bucks a year and up. But the apps free version is plenty powerful, and odds are, itll be all you need. (That version also doesnt even seem to have any ads present, as far as Ive seen so far.) Its like having your own personal rain gauge on the groundonly it exists entirely in your purse or pocket, all inside your favorite device. Not too shabby, Id say. Precip is available on the web in a limited form or in a native Android app and iOS app for a more complete experience. Its free at its base level, with optional subscriptions starting at $20-a-year for a variety of extra abilities. The apps do require you to sign in with an email address to use many of their features, but they dont require any other personal infoand the developers say they dont share any data with anyone. Check out my free Cool Tools newsletter for even more useful software surprisesstarting with a standout audio app thatll tune up your days in some delightful ways.
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