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Critical Thinking: The Human Skill AI Can't Replace

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Critical Thinking: The Human Skill AI Can't Replace

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Intermediate level

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5 hours to complete
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Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
Intermediate level

Recommended experience

5 hours to complete
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

  • Evaluate AI-generated outputs using critical thinking to identify bias, hallucinations & decision risks through structured assessment frameworks.

  • Develop a defensible decision memo using structured thinking, risk reviews, and human-AI workflows to improve decision making.

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Recently updated!

June 2026

Assessments

2 assignments

Taught in English

There are 2 modules in this course

As artificial intelligence becomes deeply integrated into business operations, the ability to think critically is emerging as one of the most valuable professional skills. While AI can generate recommendations, summarize information, and automate tasks, it cannot replace human judgment, contextual understanding, ethical reasoning, and sound decision making. This course helps learners understand what is critical thinking, why critical thinking skills remain essential in the AI era, and how to apply structured thinking to make better decisions in complex, fast-changing environments.

Through practical frameworks, real-world business scenarios, and hands-on critical thinking exercises, participants will learn how to evaluate AI-generated content, identify bias and misinformation, assess evidence quality, and improve decision outcomes. Learners will also explore critical thinking examples, higher-order reasoning methods, and structured approaches for managing uncertainty when working with AI tools. Designed for professionals, managers, analysts, and business leaders, this critical thinking course provides practical methods for strengthening judgment and improving human-AI collaboration. Using tools such as decision journals, premortem analysis, citation audits, red-team reviews, AI Output Trust Scores, and Bias Stack diagnostics, learners will build a repeatable framework for assessing risks, challenging assumptions, and making better-informed decisions. By the end of the course, learners will be able to define critical thinking, explain why critical thinking is important in modern workplaces, apply higher order thinking skills to real business challenges, and confidently combine human judgment with AI-powered insights. Whether you want to become a critical thinker, strengthen your problem-solving abilities, or master your decision-making skills, this course provides the practical tools needed to succeed in an increasingly AI-driven world.

This module establishes why human judgment compounds in value as AI handles more execution, and equips learners with two foundational diagnostic tools: the Bias Stack for diagnosing cognitive, dataset, and model bias, and the AI Output Trust Score for evaluating any AI-generated output. Learners will examine documented AI failures including the Amazon hiring AI and Mata v. Avianca, and build a working citation-audit habit.

What's included

10 videos4 readings1 assignment1 peer review1 discussion prompt

10 videos•Total 61 minutes
  • Module Introduction•2 minutes
  • The Strategist vs the Technician •6 minutes
  • System One and System Two at Work •6 minutes
  • The Decision Quality Crisis •6 minutes
  • Cognitive Bias and the AI Mirror •7 minutes
  • Dataset and Model Bias •7 minutes
  • Bias Stack in Action: The Amazon Hiring Case •7 minutes
  • The Five Trust Score Criteria•7 minutes
  • Scoring an AI Summary: The Board Pre-Read •7 minutes
  • Hallucinations and the Mata v. Avianca Case •7 minutes
4 readings•Total 20 minutes
  • Welcome to the Course: Course Overview•5 minutes
  • The Impact of Generative AI on Critical Thinking•5 minutes
  • Towards a Standard for Identifying and Managing Bias in Artificial Intelligence•5 minutes
  • Lawyers Fined for Filing Bogus Case Law Created by ChatGPT•5 minutes
1 assignment•Total 20 minutes
  • Diagnose: Evaluating AI Outputs and Spotting Bias and Error•20 minutes
1 peer review•Total 10 minutes
  • Hands-On-Learning: Diagnostic Lab: Bias Stack, Trust Score, and Citation Audit•10 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 5 minutes
  • Applying the Bias Stack and Trust Score to a Real AI-Assisted Decision•5 minutes

This module turns diagnostic skill into decision discipline. Learners will apply premortem, red-team, and base-rate techniques to AI-supported decisions, examine four named human-AI collaboration workflows, and conduct a prompt risk review using a documented customer-service AI ruling. The module culminates in a Capstone Decision Memo and a thirty-day practice plan.

What's included

10 videos3 readings1 assignment2 peer reviews1 discussion prompt

10 videos•Total 64 minutes
  • Module Introduction •2 minutes
  • Premortem and Red-Team Thinking •7 minutes
  • Base Rates and Calibration •7 minutes
  • Frameworks in a Financial Projection Scenario •7 minutes
  • Draft-and-Verify and Adversarial Review •7 minutes
  • Premortem-with-AI and Decision Audit •7 minutes
  • Prompt Risk Review and the Moffatt v. Air Canada Case •7 minutes
  • The Decision Journal and the Defensible Memo •7 minutes
  • Capstone Walk-Through: From Course to Operating Habit •7 minutes
  • The Thirty-Day Practice Plan •7 minutes
3 readings•Total 15 minutes
  • Pre-Mortem Analysis: Anticipating Pitfalls to Increase Project Success•5 minutes
  • Air Canada's Chatbot Costs the Airline a Discount It Wrongly Offered to a Customer•5 minutes
  • How a Decision Journal Changed the Way I Make Decisions•5 minutes
1 assignment•Total 20 minutes
  • Critical Thinking: The Human Skill AI Can't Replace•20 minutes
2 peer reviews•Total 70 minutes
  • Hands-On-Learning: Capstone Decision Memo with Prompt Risk Review•10 minutes
  • Project: Human Judgment in the AI Era: Decision Memo Challenge•60 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
  • Improving a Decision Process Through AI-Era Best Practices•10 minutes

Instructors

Starweaver
571 Courses•1,157,301 learners

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Frequently asked questions

Critical thinking is the ability to evaluate information objectively, question assumptions, assess evidence, and make sound judgments. As AI becomes embedded in everyday work, critical thinking skills have evolved from a personal advantage into a business necessity. Professionals must be able to assess AI-generated outputs, identify bias and hallucinations, and make informed decisions that withstand executive, regulatory, and customer scrutiny.

This critical thinking course teaches practical frameworks for evaluating AI-generated content, diagnosing cognitive and AI bias, conducting risk reviews, and improving decision making. You will learn how to apply structured reasoning, use human-AI collaboration workflows, perform citation audits, and develop defensible recommendations in real-world business scenarios.

Unlike traditional courses that focus primarily on theory, this program combines critical thinking, analytical thinking, and AI literacy through documented case studies, decision journals, hands-on labs, and practical business applications. Learners gain tools such as the AI Output Trust Score, Bias Stack diagnostic, Prompt Risk Review, and Decision Audit framework that can be used immediately in the workplace.

The course provides practical methods to improve critical thinking skills by teaching learners how to evaluate AI outputs, challenge assumptions, detect reasoning flaws, assess evidence quality, and review decision risks. Through structured exercises and real-world examples, participants develop habits that strengthen judgment and reduce overreliance on AI-generated recommendations.

Learners analyze real-world cases involving biased hiring algorithms, fabricated AI citations, customer-service chatbot failures, and AI-assisted business decisions. These critical thinking examples demonstrate how structured evaluation, evidence review, and risk assessment can prevent costly mistakes and improve decision quality.

The course introduces proven frameworks such as premortem analysis, red-team reviews, base-rate thinking, decision audits, and decision journals. These approaches strengthen decision making, problem solving, and logical reasoning, helping professionals make better decisions under uncertainty and in AI-assisted environments.

This course is designed for managers, team leaders, analysts, consultants, compliance professionals, MBA students, and knowledge workers who use AI tools in their daily work. It is particularly valuable for professionals seeking to strengthen critical thinking skills, analytical thinking, and human-AI collaboration capabilities.

No. The course is designed for non-technical professionals. Learners only need a basic understanding of workplace decision making and some familiarity with generative AI tools such as chatbots or AI assistants. No programming or data science background is required.

You will learn how to evaluate AI-generated outputs, identify bias and hallucinations, conduct citation audits, apply structured reasoning frameworks, perform risk reviews, and create defensible decision memos. These skills strengthen critical thinking and problem solving in modern AI-enabled workplaces.

While AI can generate content, recommendations, and analyses, it cannot fully replace human judgment, contextual understanding, ethical reasoning, or accountability. Professionals who combine AI literacy with strong critical thinking, strategic thinking, and higher-order reasoning skills are better equipped to make decisions that are accurate, defensible, and aligned with business goals.

To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.

When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.

Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

Financial aid available,