Malala Yousafzai stresses critical thinking in AI era, warns of gender bias in technology

WEB DESK: Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai has called for a thoughtful approach towards artificial intelligence (AI), urging people to use the technology as a tool for learning while preserving human critical thinking.

In a video shared on X by her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, Malala said she also uses AI, but in a way that stimulates her thinking rather than replacing human reasoning.

She explained that she uses AI by asking questions such as what the basic concepts of a topic are, what possible counterarguments exist and what weaknesses an idea may have.

“These are the good ways to really stimulate your brain,” Malala said, emphasising that AI should encourage curiosity, questioning and deeper analysis.

However, the Nobel laureate raised concerns over the lack of representation of women, girls and marginalised communities in AI systems, warning that technology can reproduce existing social inequalities.

“It does not include women and girls and does not take into account the perspective of underserved communities,” she said, calling for more inclusive approaches in AI development.

Malala said AI can provide access to vast amounts of information, but users must learn to evaluate and analyse the content instead of accepting it without questioning.

“We need to focus on how we consume the information and how we evaluate it–something that is challenging for AI,” she added.

Discussing the role of the human mind, she said the ability to question, analyse and make decisions remains unique to humans.

The education activist also highlighted the challenge of information overload in the digital age, saying people are constantly surrounded by content through screens, television and other platforms.

“For me, we’re still using our brains. That’s the most important thing.”
— @Malala on AI pic.twitter.com/d3aZQsk9lA

— Ziauddin Yousafzai (@ZiauddinY) August 5, 2026

She urged users to ask AI critical questions and examine its responses carefully to understand how information shapes their views and decisions.

Malala said access to information is no longer the biggest challenge in the AI era, as knowledge is widely available. The real challenge, she added, is developing critical thinking skills to distinguish between reliable arguments and misleading information.

“Now access to information is no longer a challenge; it is available. But we do need critical thinking skills,” she said.

Calling on education systems to adapt to rapid technological changes, Malala stressed that AI must be designed in a way that avoids reinforcing gender biases.

“We are all new to AI, but we have to think about how AI is designed so that it does not bring gender biases,” she said.