Are Younger Generations Losing Critical Thinking Skills?
Recent research shows that younger people are not lacking brainpower or critical thinking skills compared to older generations. Instead, they just process information differently. Younger officers are extremely comfortable using digital tools, phones, and the internet. However, because they are used to fast searches and quick answers, they can sometimes fall for biased information or skip deeper research.
In police work, new officers face a common problem: they simply do not have years of field experience yet. Experienced officers have spent decades learning from past calls, court cases, and trial and error. A rookie officer cannot magically gain 20 years of experience overnight, no matter how smart they are.
Using AI as a Digital Wise Counsel
Instead of using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to do the work for them, police departments can use AI to teach officers how to think through tough situations. When a new officer types raw notes into an AI tool, a smart system does not just write the final report automatically. Instead, the AI prompts the officer with thoughtful questions that push them toward wise counsel and strategic reasoning.
Example: If an officer writes in their notes that a suspect looked “suspicious,” the AI will ask: “What specific actions did the person do that made them look suspicious under Fourth Amendment laws?”
By asking these kinds of questions, the AI acts like a digital Field Training Officer (FTO), prompting younger officers to double-check their facts, consider what defense lawyers might say in court, and make wiser decisions. This turns ordinary report writing into a real-time learning exercise.
The Big Takeaway
When used the right way, AI does not make officers lazy or take away their critical thinking skills. Instead, AI prompts young officers to consider wise counsel and deeper legal ideas that they might not have thought of on their own, helping them build veteran-level habits early in their careers.
–American Academy of Advanced Thinking & OpenAI
