Mainstream generative-AI chat interfaces create the impression of a meaningmaking entity, but models cannot perform meaningmaking—the work of deciding what matters and what to pursue. A pen-and-paper prototype tested with first-year undergraduates used a structured worksheet to prompt iterative human meaningmaking while clarifying which non-meaningmaking tasks AI can handle. Students converted vague proposals into sharp, strongly reasoned arguments within two hours. The experiment indicates that UX designs which clearly separate human judgment from machine assistance can support AI-powered critical thinking tools. Educational pilots are sought to test these interface designs at scale. Research was supported by the Future of Life Foundation's Programme on AI for Human Reasoning.
Current AI interfaces lull us into thinking we're talking to something that can make meaningful judgments about what's valuable. We're not - we're using tools that are tremendously powerful but nonetheless can't do "meaningmaking" work (the work of deciding what matters, what's worth pursuing). I developed and tested with first-year undergraduates a pen-and-paper prototype designed to isolate the core mechanisms for thinking critically while using AI tools.
Participants used a structured worksheet to simulate a different kind of AI tool user experience of writing a strongly reasoned argument. The main difference in the UX is in pushing them to do iterative meaningmaking work themselves, while articulating what non-meaningmaking work AI tools could help them with. The result of this experiment was compelling and encouraging: Students went from vague proposals to sharp arguments in two hours.
These results suggest that it's possible to design AI interfaces that clearly separate what humans must do from what machines can help with, laying the groundwork for an AI-powered critical thinking tool. I'm now looking for educational institutions to pilot such a tool. This research is supported by the Future of Life Foundation's Programme on AI for Human Reasoning, in which I'm a fellow.
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