5 Critical Thinking Habits That Matter as Much for Navigating AI as for Leadership.
I think a lot about the world my daughter will grow up in, this world where truth and fabrication are tangled as never before, a blur which AI is accelerating, not just with deepfakes and synthetic voices but with something more insidious: an erosion of our ability to tell what’s credible, and why.
Already, they’re calling it the “AI sloop” — a feedback loop where machines generate the content, humans consume it, and then train more machines on it, a self-referential spiral. At first it looks efficient. Eventually, it risks becoming hollow, narratives repeating themselves not because they’re true, but because they’re available. In that world, my daughter will need more than knowledge. She’ll need judgment.
Too often, critical thinking seems abstract, so I’ll teach her it’s a set of habits. Here are five I’ll overemphasize, because they matter as much for navigating AI as they do for leadership.
Ask “Why do you think?”
Children are born asking “why.” Instead of giving answers, I’ll ask back: “Why do you think?”
- Why it matters for leaders: Leaders don’t thrive by knowing everything but by prompting others to think deeply.
Look for the other side.
Before accepting a story, she’ll ask: “How else might someone explain this?”
- Why it matters for leaders: Strong leaders pressure-test their ideas against counterarguments before committing.
Spot what’s missing.
Every narrative has its gaps. I’ll urge her to ask, “What isn’t being said here?”
- Why it matters for leaders: Reading between the lines is where the real insight lies in data, negotiations, culture.
Follow the motive.
She’ll learn to ask, “Who’s telling me this, and what might they want?”
- Why it matters for leaders: Leaders understand incentives. Trust isn’t blind; it’s calibrated.
Pause before reacting.
When something feels urgent or charged, she’ll practice waiting, whether that’s a minute or a day.
- Why it matters for leaders: Resilient leaders don’t let urgency dictate choices. They create the space to decide wisely.
My goal is to teach skepticism without cynicism. A child who distrusts everything risks paralysis, conspiratorial thinking. I want her to pause, question, and still act with the confidence of discernment.
The alternative, underpreparing her, is riskier to me. I’d rather she roll her eyes at me for hammering on about context and nuance than be swept away by a viral lie. If AI is the great amplifier of both our brilliance and our blind spots, then critical thinking is the one skill that won’t be automated. That’s why I’ll overemphasize it. Because I want her to grow up not just swimming in information, but standing firm on judgment.
Life is lived,
Willy