Jakarta study examines AI's impact on student critical thinking

A study conducted at SMPN 117 Jakarta Timur examines the relationship between the intensity of Artificial Intelligence (AI) usage and the critical thinking abilities of eighth-grade students during Pancasila education lessons.

The research addresses the potential for generative AI to serve as a cognitive scaffolding tool or, conversely, to trigger cognitive offloading that may diminish students' reasoning skills. The quantitative study utilized a correlational ex-post facto approach with a sample of 73 students, collecting data between May 2026.