Research conducted by Indonesian scholars and published in the Ianna Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, a Scopus-indexed journal affiliated with the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, indicates that the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in research may adversely affect critical thinking skills, among other cognitive abilities.

The findings suggest that utilizing AI tools such as Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (ChatGPT) could diminish human intellectual functions related to critical thinking, analytical reasoning, interpretation, and logical reasoning.

The authors of this study include Drs. Suntoro Suntoro, Ida Zulaeha, Hari Bakti Mardikantoro, and Tommi Yuniawan, all affiliated with Universitas Negeri Semarang in Indonesia.

The researchers conducted a systematic review in their study, analyzing 19 selected studies sourced from databases such as Google Scholar and Scopus.

Their findings indicated that chatGPT has influenced various elements of academic research, including topic selection, reference searching, data analysis, copy editing, and translation.

However, the study also highlighted some negative aspects of using chatGPT for academic writing, such as an increase in plagiarism and a diminishing emphasis on honesty and accountability.

Dr. Suntoro and his research team cautioned that reliance on AI for tasks traditionally performed by humans may lead to mental complacency, urging researchers to exercise caution when integrating AI tools into their work.

This study was featured in a special issue of the Ianna Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, a Scopus-indexed publication founded by Dr. Gever Verlumun, a Nigerian communication scholar from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

The special issue, titled “Digital media and research in 21st-century society: Assessing the current trends and projecting the future,” received funding from the Centre for Advanced Internet Studies in Bochum, Germany.