Illusions of Understanding from Outsourcing Thinking to LLMs

2026/04/22 by Nicole Cruz · 1 voice
Medicine · Computer Science · Decision Sciences · #Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare and Education #Natural Language Processing Techniques #Scientific Computing and Data Management

paper · pdf · doi:10.1007/s42113-026-00288-6

Abstract

Abstract Some illusions of understanding are an inevitable part of the research process, while others can be avoided or overcome by careful critical thinking and observation. We are facing an increased risk of avoidable illusions as more research activities are delegated to large language models (LMM). LLMs can be useful but they cannot think, and their use can undermine our thinking and understanding. Thinking for ourselves is hard and error prone but worthwhile - and there are no shortcuts to understanding.

Citations

• Critical ignoring when information abundance is detrimental to democracy
• Experimental evidence of the effects of large language models versus web search on depth of learning
• Reclaiming AI as a Theoretical Tool for Cognitive Science
• ChatGPT is bullshit
• The simulation of judgment in LLMs

Discussions

• Now reading 📖 Cruz, Nicole (2026). Illusions of Understanding from Outsourcing Thinking to LLMs. Computational Brain & Behavior doi.org/10.1007/s421... 1/🧵 [bsky, 109 points, 2 comments]

Related

• Misinforming LLMs: vulnerabilities, challenges and opportunities
• Can large language models reason and plan?
• Why LLMs Cannot Think and How to Fix It
• Thinking in a Crowd: How Auxiliary Information Shapes LLM Reasoning
• Are Language Models Models?