What happens when students delegate not just writing, but reasoning itself to AI?

Dr Chahna Gonsalves, Senior Lecturer at King's Business School, reveals how generative AI is transforming critical thinking in higher education through what she calls "epistemic offloading", the process of outsourcing intellectual work to tools like ChatGPT.

This conversation examines how students are using AI to interpret readings, generate argument structures, and pre-evaluate their own work, shifting responsibility for core intellectual tasks. Chahna explores why AI prizes polish over depth, how this affects students' evaluative judgment, and what happens when students ask "does this sound like me?"

We discuss the equity implications of tech-savviness, why reflexive AI use matters more than bans, and how Bloom's Taxonomy reveals which cognitive processes students readily offload versus protect. Chahna argues we need transparent conversations about delegation, judgment, and what truly requires human reasoning.

Essential listening for anyone grappling with AI's role in learning, assessment design, and the future of thinking itself.

This episode continues our new short series featuring conversations from the ⁠Building Bridges: A Symposium on Human-AI Interaction⁠ held at the University of Warwick on 21 November 2025. The symposium was organised by ⁠Dr Yanyan Li⁠, Xianzhi Chen, and Kaiqi Yu, and jointly funded by the Institute of Advanced Study Conversations Scheme and the Doctoral College Networking Fund, with sponsorship from Warwick Students' Union.

AI Ethics Now

Exploring the ethical dilemmas of AI in Higher Education and beyond.

A University of Warwick IATL Podcast

This podcast series was developed by Dr Tom Ritchie and Dr Jennie Mills, the module leads of the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠IATL module ⁠"The AI Revolution: Ethics, Technology, and Society"⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ at the University of Warwick. The AI Revolution module explores the history, current state, and potential futures of artificial intelligence, examining its profound impact on society, individuals, and the very definition of 'humanness.'

This podcast was initially designed to provide a deeper dive into the key themes explored each week in class. We want to share the discussions we have had to help offer a broader, interdisciplinary perspective on the ethical and societal implications of artificial intelligence to a wider audience.

Join each fortnight for new critical conversations on AI Ethics with local, national, and international experts.

We will discuss:

• Ethical Dimensions of AI: Fairness, bias, transparency, and accountability.
• Societal Implications: How AI is transforming industries, economies, and our understanding of humanity.
• The Future of AI: Potential benefits, risks, and shaping a future where AI serves humanity.

If you want to join the podcast as a guest, contact Tom.Ritchie@warwick.ac.uk.