Last week an acquaintance shared a video of a recent political speech on social media with the comment “You can’t argue with facts”.

My initial reaction was surprise as I disagree with that politician’s underlying values. This turned into a brief feeling of superiority (because we all believe we know better), but luckily I held my fingers back and didn’t post anything nasty in that reactive mode! 

Upon reflection I applaud her for posting it, as it opened lots of polite conversation from her network, challenging the ‘facts’ that were a manipulation of data with the aim of creating fear and division. Unless we can civilly question our information sources, politely question problems and openly explore solutions, what hope do we have when AI is also playing a role in all three steps? 

Critical thinking has never been more critical! 

In the workplace we hear terms like “human in the loop” when it comes to automation and AI, but we need to be careful about the trust that is quickly developed. Maintaining a sense of caution and careful oversight is important, and depending on the task or information can be essential. 

Remember we can train our brains. Practice using critical thinking next time you read a news article or social media post – search for the sources of the information, and pose questions, particularly on a topic you would automatically trust.  

Listen to the voice in the back of your mind and open that can of worms on occasion. Be ready to explore ideas with your team and welcome their questions. This builds the muscle of critical thinking that we all need to build the future we want.