Study on the Cultivation Paths of Critical Thinking Ability in College English under the Artificial Intelligence Environment

With the accelerated integration of artificial intelligence (AI) technology into the field of education, college English teaching is undergoing a profound transformation from knowledge transmission to competence generation. As a crucial dimension of core English literacy, critical thinking ability demonstrates new construction logic and developmental paths within AI-dominated cognitive environments. This study focuses on the intrinsic mechanisms of cultivating critical thinking ability in college English under the AI environment, systematically analyzing the intelligent evolution of language input patterns, the cognitive transfer characteristics of information-processing paths, and the deep involvement of interaction logic in language comprehension. It elaborates on the structural generation mechanism of critical thinking ability in language embedding, cognitive collaboration, and pragmatic transition. On this basis, the paper further proposes strategies for constructing AI-based intelligent hierarchical teaching structures, personalized cognitive feedback mechanisms, and thinking-oriented task systems, aiming to provide theoretical support and practical references for innovating college English teaching models and systematically cultivating thinking abilities. An analysis of the intelligent paths of language input patterns, information-processing routes, and teaching structures in AI environments shows that AI is not merely a technological tool for language teaching but also an important engine for reshaping cognitive processes and promoting the deep evolution of thinking structures.