160: AI and Critical Thinking

If AI is accelerating everything, what happens when we don’t pause long enough to think? In this episode of Qonversations, Mak Dizdar, head of Strategy and Consulting for Curious Lion, joins Brian Gorman to examine the tension between AI and critical thinking. As organizations rush to implement AI, many skip the most important step: defining the problem. Faster execution, without clarity, simply leads to faster misalignment.

Mak offers a sharp lens. AI doesn’t improve thinking; it amplifies it. For critical thinkers, it expands capability. For those stuck in busy work, it accelerates noise. The conversation challenges how we measure productivity in knowledge work, emphasizing reflection, pattern recognition, and the ability to reassess whether the target itself has shifted. It also draws a clear distinction between information and true understanding AI can replicate knowledge, but not the deeper, internalized intelligence that shapes judgment.

As decision making becomes more distributed, critical thinking is no longer optional. It is a leadership requirement. Because the question isn’t whether AI can think. It’s whether we still will.