<![CDATA[The rapid integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in higher education has benefits but also introduced new challenges, particularly the phenomenon of AI-dependency students’ excessive reliance on AI for academic tasks. This conceptual article Aims to examine the psychological mechanisms underlying AI-dependency, its implications for cognitive processing and critical thinking skills, and the potential risks it poses to academic integrity and autonomous learning. This study employs a conceptual literature review, drawing on relevant scholarly articles retrieved from major academic databases such as Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, with a focus on publications related to AI use in education, cognitive processes, and critical thinking. The literature was synthesized using a narrative–thematic analysis to identify key patterns, concepts, and institutional responses to AI-dependency. The article concludes that higher education institutions play a strategic role in mitigating AI-dependency through curriculum design, critical AI literacy development, assessment practices emphasizing higher-order thinking skills, and academic support systems. These institutional interventions are essential to ensure that AI functions as a cognitive support tool rather than a substitute for critical thinking.]]>
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