Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a transformative force, reshaping business landscapes and driving significant changes in the global economy. Recent analyses suggest that nearly 40% of global jobs are susceptible to disruption by AI (Cazzaniga et al., 2024). For underserved populations whose digital divide is still deeply rooted in as new types of digital divide are emerging, the gap between the modern, technology-pervasive workplace and the rising future generation of workforce is especially alarming. To help this population adapt to a professional workplace integrated with AI, studies that focus on exploring the development of skills essential for individuals from that population to succeed are critically needed but rarely seen. Given the deep integration of those skills and AI in nowadays’ workplace, the development of those skills cannot be studied without considering the interaction of AI and human. In this regard, increasing debate about the impact of AI on human skills exists among scholars. Some found evidence to suggest that an increased utilization of ChatGPT can enhance critical thinking abilities (Suriano et al., 2025). Others warn that over-reliance on AI negatively impacts cognitive abilities, and may cause a steady erosion of critical thinking, as individuals increasingly favor fast and optimal solutions over slow ones constrained by practicality (Zhai et al., 2024; Dans, 2023). The mixed findings motivated us to study the impact of students’ perceptions about AI use on their essential skills such as critical thinking. This research has two goals: (1) to study what perceptions about AI use the students from underserved populations have (2) to understand the antecedents of those perceptions that affect the development of critical thinking ability among students from underserved populations; Our research questions (RQs) thus are: RQ1: What attitudes to AI usage do students from underserved populations have? RQ2. What affects the attitudes to AI usage among students from underserved populations? We collected survey data on an AI exercise designed according to relevant literature from a large public university whose majority of students is underserved populations. The initial survey results include 188 samples and 26 question responses. Next, we will use PLS model to examine those quantitative measures and identify relationships between skills, attitudes, and student demographic and socioeconomic characteristics and work experiences. The study attempts to offer insights into skills development of individuals from underserved populations and offer practical tips for educators & employers.

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