#AI4M*: Does AI harm (or foster) critical thinking?
*Note: In the forthcoming 2026 release of Essentials of Marketing, we highlight content showing how AI is used in marketing with “#AI4M” (AI for marketing). We will also use it here at the blog.
As noted in my previous post, I will be crafting a few early-semester posts that highlight how you might teach your students to use AI better. Before we get too far along that path, let’s explore one of the criticisms/concerns that many people have with AI. Will the use of AI hinder students’ critical thinking? If college is a time for students to learn critical thinking, is there anything we can do to ensure this continues in the age of AI?
Mollick’s post Against “Brain Damage” (One Useful Thing, July 7, 2025) summarizes some research that suggests the effects of AI on thinking are more nuanced. The essay challenges the myth that AI damages our brains. Instead, he argues that passive use dulls our thinking, creativity, and collaboration—and urges users to think and create first, then use AI to amplify, not bypass, our mental work.
While Mollick points to research that shows how AI harms learning, he notes that “While it is still early, we have increasing evidence that, when used with teacher guidance and good prompting based on sound pedagogical principles, AI can greatly improve learning outcomes.” We as instructors need to make sure we understand how to guide students to better prompt the AI. He suggests, “ultimately it is how you use AI, rather than the use of AI at all, that determines whether it helps or hurts your brain when learning.”
Implications for marketing instructors. I think this post offers some useful direction for how we can use AI in the marketing classroom. Mollick’s core message—don’t let AI replace human thought, let it amplify it—fits perfectly in an introductory marketing course. Students can learn the discipline’s core ideas, practice creativity, and engage in collaboration, all while experimenting with AI in ways that make them more thoughtful and effective future marketers.
In-Class Activity: Use AI to Optimize Learning
The following are a few short in-class activities that you can use to stimulate student applications of AI in marketing contexts. The ideas build upon some of the learning from the “power-user” activity posted earlier. These different discussion tools could be used in one class session or across class sessions (for example, learning marketing concepts may be helpful earlier in the semester, while creativity or group collaboration may fit better later in the semester). And of course the ideas shown below could easily be replaced with whatever topic you are covering in class is that day.
Note: The article Against “Brain Damage” (One Useful Thing, July 7, 2025) could be assigned or briefly lectured upon before doing any one of these activities.
- Learning Marketing Concepts
- Before using AI: Write your own definition of market segmentation (Chapter 4)
- Then: Ask an AI tool for its definition and compare the two.
- Discussion: How did the AI’s version differ from yours? Did it clarify, confuse, or expand your understanding?
- Creativity in Marketing
- Imagine you are designing an ad campaign for a new energy drink (Chapter 15)
- First: Brainstorm three creative ideas yourself.
- Then: Ask AI for ten more.
- Discussion: Did AI expand your creativity or anchor you to certain patterns? What are the risks of relying only on AI for creative work?
- Group Collaboration
- In a team, draft a positioning statement (Chapter 4) for a fictional product (e.g., an eco-friendly sneaker).
- Then: Use AI as a devil’s advocate—ask it to critique your positioning from the perspective of a skeptical customer.
- Discussion: How did AI improve your group’s discussion? Did it surface weaknesses you hadn’t considered?
- Critical Thinking About AI in Marketing Practice
- Scenario: A marketing manager uses AI to generate all campaign ideas and strategy recommendations (Chapter 13, 15, or 16).
- Discussion: What are the risks of this approach? What balance between human judgment and AI support would you recommend?
A first draft of this blog post and the image used were generated with ChatGPT.