Deputy Minister Stella: AI could diminish critical thinking skills

Deputy Minister for Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Wamendiktisaintek) Stella Christie has asserted that the successful use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is determined not only by technological sophistication but must be based on the needs and quality of the Human Resources (SDM) managing it. “The key returns to one thing, namely human capital or human resources. The most fundamental aspect in business is the ability to make decisions, including determining which problems need to be solved with AI and which do not need to be solved with AI because the cost is actually higher,” said Wamendiktisaintek Stella Christie at the Grab Business Forum 2026 in Jakarta on Tuesday. The professor of cognitive psychology assessed that AI has the potential to diminish critical thinking skills if not used appropriately. In her presentation, Wamendiktisaintek Stella conveyed the results of a study measuring the impact of using Large Language Models (LLM) in essay writing. The study results showed that the group that relied solely on their own thinking ability (brain only) produced the best quality essays, while the group that used LLM actually obtained the lowest results. These findings, she said, indicate that dependency on AI can reduce the ability to think, reason, and construct arguments independently. For this reason, Wamendiktisaintek Stella Christie emphasised the importance of the ability to make decisions, understand the need for AI usage, determine the timing of adoption, and evaluate the results of AI use. “That is what we must do together, and it is a big job for our Ministry and higher education institutions, namely preparing human resources who are able to understand, utilise, and evaluate the development of artificial intelligence appropriately,” said Wamendiktisaintek Stella Christie.