Critical Thinking in the Age of AI: The Good, Bad, and Ugly Truth

We Filipinos are known for being madiskarte (resourceful). From finding side hustles online to navigating endless group chats, we’ve learned to adapt fast. But in the age of Artificial Intelligence, adaptation isn’t enough anymore—what we need is critical thinking.

Because here’s the good, the bad, and the ugly truth: AI can either make us smarter… or make us lazy enough to stop thinking altogether.

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The Good: AI as a Supercharged Tool

Think of AI like a calculator in the 90s or Google in the 2000s. Suddenly, tasks that used to take hours—research, reports, translations—can be done in minutes.

Students in the Philippines who once struggled with access to resources can now ask ChatGPT or Gemini for instant answers. Workers who juggle multiple jobs can use AI to draft emails, summarize reports, or even design graphics.

If used wisely, AI doesn’t replace thinking—it frees our brains for deeper thinking. Instead of wasting time on repetitive tasks, we can focus on strategy, creativity, and human judgment.

Like in our previous article, Yahoo’s Lesson in Longevity and Reinvention, we saw how technology that adapts survives. AI can be the same—if we use it not just for shortcuts but for sharpening our skills.

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The Bad: Copy-Paste Mentality

But here’s the catch. AI makes everything too easy. Why think when the answer is one click away?

Some students now submit essays written entirely by AI. Workers forward AI-generated reports without even reading them. We risk becoming blind followers of the machine, instead of active thinkers.

Worse, AI answers aren’t always correct. It can “hallucinate”—spit out confident but false information. If we don’t fact-check, we spread misinformation. In a country like the Philippines, where fake news already spreads faster than traffic in EDSA, that’s a recipe for disaster.

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The Ugly: Manipulation and Mind Control

Here’s the ugliest truth: AI doesn’t just give answers, it also shapes opinions.

From personalized ads to algorithm-driven feeds, we are constantly being nudged, influenced, and even manipulated. AI knows what videos keep us hooked, what headlines make us angry, and what products tempt us at 2AM on Shopee or Lazada.

Critical thinking isn’t just about spotting wrong information anymore—it’s about recognizing when we’re being controlled.

The danger isn’t AI being smarter than us—it’s us stopping to question because AI feels too convenient.

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So, What’s the Filipino Way Forward?

Filipinos thrive on curiosity, creativity, and diskarte. We’re natural storytellers, debaters, and problem-solvers. Those are exactly the skills AI can’t replace.

To survive and thrive in the AI age, here’s what we need:

✅ Question everything. Don’t just accept AI answers. Ask: Who made this? Who benefits from this?
✅ Cross-check. Use AI as one source, but verify with others.
✅ Use AI to think deeper, not less. Let AI do the legwork, but keep the decision-making human.
✅ Stay human. Empathy, humor, pakikipagkapwa—these are things no AI can fake.

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Conclusion: The Choice Is Ours

AI isn’t good or bad—it’s a mirror. It reflects how we choose to use it.

If we surrender our thinking, AI will make us passive, dependent, and easy to manipulate. But if we sharpen our critical thinking, AI can be the most powerful tool we’ve ever had.

At the end of the day, the question isn’t: Will AI replace us?
The real question is: Will we stop thinking for ourselves?

And for Filipinos, with our wit, resilience, and diskarte—I’d like to believe the answer is no.