How do you benchmark real critical thinking in AI vs. learned plausible-sounding answers?

Far_Tumbleweed7835 · reddit · 2026-09-04

A Reddit discussion raises a hard eval problem: models can produce fast, confident answers with arguments and counterarguments, but speed and fluency aren't critical thinking — a model may simply have learned what a "critical thinking" answer should look like.

The author proposes that a meaningful test must force models to handle incomplete or conflicting information, judge which evidence is reliable, explain their reasoning, and revise conclusions when new evidence contradicts them.

The open question: how do you build a benchmark that separates genuine reasoning from merely more convincing explanations?

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