Proof Engine Verification: Using AI tools makes humans worse at critical thinking and original problem-solving.

Verdict: PROVED - **4 independent sources** from different institutions all confirm that AI tool usage is associated with diminished critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, exceeding the threshold of 3 required for proof. - Gerlich (2025) found a **strong negative correlation (r = -0.68)** between AI tool usage frequency and critical thinking scores in a study of 666 participants, with cognitive offloading as the mediating mechanism (B1). - Lee et al. (2025, Microsoft Research / CHI) found that **highe