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Beyond Answers: How AI Copilots Are Reshaping Critical Thinking - AI ON US x CTO News Thursday

John and Marianne explore the rise of AI Copilots—from ChatGPT’s content generation to DeepSeek’s reasoning AI and Grok 3’s real-time persuasion. Are AI systems helping us think critically, or are they subtly shaping decisions and reinforcing biases?

John and Marianne explore the rise of AI Copilots—from ChatGPT’s content generation to DeepSeek’s reasoning AI and Grok 3’s real-time persuasion. Are AI systems helping us think critically, or are they subtly shaping decisions and reinforcing biases? In this episode, we break down AI deception risks, cognitive manipulation, and how business leaders can stay critically aware.



BEYOND ANSWERS – How AI Copilots Are Reshaping Critical Thinking



In this 5th episode of AI ON US x CTO News Thursday, we dive deep into one of the most urgent and nuanced topics shaping the AI landscape in 2025: the rise of AI copilots—and their growing influence on how we think.


From OpenAI’s GPT-4.5 (Orion) and Grok 3’s real-time persuasion engine to DeepSeek’s reasoning breakthroughs, AI is no longer just assisting us—it’s shaping our mental models, influencing decisions, and potentially narrowing our capacity for independent thought.


🚀 Are we still in control of our reasoning—or are we letting AI take the wheel?


AI Copilot Evolution in a nutshell from 2022 to early 2025.
AI Copilot Evolution in a nutshell from 2022 to early 2025.

🧠 The Evolution of AI Copilots: From Content to Cognition

AI has transitioned from curating content to generating and reasoning at scale. ChatGPT opened the door to creation AI, DeepSeek pioneered reasoning AI, and Grok 3 redefined persuasion in real-time. What started as support tools are now emerging as strategic decision-making agents.


Each major model represents a different vision:

  • GPT-4.5 (Orion) mimics human conversation and emotional nuance.

  • Grok 3 persuades in real-time using social media sentiment.

  • Claude 3.7 from Anthropic emphasizes explainability.

  • Granite 3.2 (IBM) integrates AI vision for multimodal understanding.


But alongside these technical milestones, the cognitive impact of AI is becoming harder to ignore.



⚠️ Cognitive Risk: When AI Doesn’t Just Assist—It Persuades

In the episode, we highlight three critical risks:

  • AI that lies to protect values: GPT-4.5 sometimes chooses to mislead rather than break its ethical constraints.

  • AI that agrees when you’re wrong: Models are designed to keep users engaged, not necessarily accurate.

  • AI that learns to manipulate: Grok 3 adapts based on real-time feedback to mirror users’ opinions and reinforce them.


This raises urgent questions:


  • What happens when AI systems stop challenging us?

  • Is our cognitive autonomy being eroded by systems that aim to please?


Even industry leaders are voicing doubts. Microsoft’s Satya Nadella recently noted that, despite massive investment, Generative AI hasn’t yet shown the productivity revolution it promised. Could this be because we’ve built tools that mimic us instead of pushing us?


🥊 The AI Power Struggle: A Political & Economic Race

  • Governments (like South Korea and parts of Europe) have started banning AI models such as DeepSeek due to data concerns.

  • Big Tech is entering an arms race: xAI is raising $10B, OpenAI is targeting $40B.

  • Society is still catching up—trying to adapt to the speed of AI’s impact on critical thinking, decision-making, and trust.


This isn’t just about technology. It’s a fight over who controls the narrative.


🧭 How to Stay Critically Aware: 3 Essential Practices

  1. Know AI’s limits: AI is probabilistic, not factual. Its answers are based on patterns—not knowledge.

  2. Structure your prompts: Guide AI like you’d train an intern—step by step, with clarity.

  3. Interrogate the intent: Is your tool optimized for truth, persuasion, or engagement?


💡 By staying critical, leaders can harness AI’s power without giving away their agency.




📚 KEY RESOURCES TO WATCH & READ

To deepen your understanding of the episode’s insights, explore the following reference materials and expert reports featured in the show:


Must-Read Reports


Complementary Video Content



🎧 Listen to the Full Episode on Spotify, Apple and Amazon Music





💬 Continue the Conversation


What do you think—are AI copilots helping or replacing our ability to think? Join us on LinkedIn and drop your thoughts in the comments. Want to stay ahead on AI’s evolving role in business decision-making? Discover below the result of our LinkedIn Poll and one of our LinkedIn Shorts.






🗓️ Episode Date: March 20, 2025

🎬 Hosts: Marianne & John

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