A student who asks ChatGPT for "five ways to reduce school waste" will get a list within seconds. That speed is useful as a starting point, but it does not replace the work of diagnosing the local situation: is the waste problem in this particular school driven by cafeteria packaging, food waste, or a lack of recycling? How many people would adopt a proposed solution, and what would it cost to implement?
Generative AI often offers general proposals but may lack knowledge of local conditions. Real solutions require students to assess the situation, collect data, run experiments and test their concepts in practice.
What is creative problem-solving — and it’s not just for artists
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) defines creative thinking as a process aimed at generating, evaluating and further developing original and effective ideas. The crucial element is not only novelty: an idea must also be improved and judged on whether it actually addresses the problem.
Creative problem-solving draws on curiosity, flexibility, critical thinking, persistence and often teamwork. These skills can be developed in the right environment and with deliberate practice — not only through special classes, but by changing everyday learning interactions.
AI changes the role of thinking — it does not make thinking obsolete
Generative AI can rapidly gather ideas, organize arguments and even outline project steps. However, its suggestions are not automatically correct: systems can make mistakes, ignore contextual factors, or present incorrect claims persuasively.
The American Psychological Association (APA) stresses that the educational impact of technology depends on how and for what pedagogical purpose it is used. A student who accepts an AI answer unchanged practices different skills than one who compares the machine’s output with their own ideas and arguments. Properly designed tasks can make AI a supplement that supports critical thinking and question formulation.
Why independent thinking still matters for the labour market
According to the World Economic Forum, employers increasingly value skills such as analytical thinking, flexibility and adaptability. Many of the skills required for work may be transformed by 2030 as automation and new technologies change job roles.
We cannot predict every tool today’s children will use in a decade, but it is likely there will remain a need for people who can interpret new situations and make responsible decisions. That is why teaching a single technology’s use is not enough; encouraging questioning, experimentation and perseverance is equally important.
Practical steps to raise creative problem-solvers
-
Don’t give the answer immediately
- It is natural for adults to help when a child is stuck, but always offering ready solutions robs children of practice. The Harvard University Center on the Developing Child notes that executive functions — planning, focused attention and flexible thinking — develop through interaction with the environment and practice.
- Instead of supplying the answer, ask: “How would you start?”, “Why didn’t your first idea work?”, “What could you try differently?” This fosters gradual independence.
-
Let children work on real problems
- Fear of failure blocks creativity. When tasks have a single correct answer and mistakes lead only to bad grades, children learn to stick to safe choices.
- The OECD points out that developing creative thinking requires intentional pedagogy. Programs that ask students to design solutions, build prototypes and test them make failure and correction part of the learning process.
-
Use AI as a thinking partner
- Ask the child to first generate three ideas independently. Then request more ideas from ChatGPT and compare the two lists: which suggestions are most original, which are easiest to implement, and which might have hidden downsides?
- Push for justification: have the student argue for their choice and identify weaknesses in the AI answers. This turns the technology into a practice ground for critical thinking rather than an answer dispenser.
-
It’s not crucial that they know everything
- Easy access to information makes knowledge less of a competitive advantage by itself, but without background understanding it is harder to spot incorrect claims or comprehend complex problems.
- Future education should prepare young people to apply knowledge creatively as well as to acquire it. Create situations where students can question, debate, fail and try again — and where good ideas can become tangible results.
A concrete opportunity: the "Megoldások a holnapért" challenge
In the Samsung and EdisonKids joint program "Megoldások a holnapért" (Solutions for Tomorrow), students in grades 7–12 work in teams to develop their own solutions to real problems. The top eight teams advancing to the final present live before a jury; mentors and training help participating teams refine their ideas and learn how a creative concept can become an implementable solution.
Applications for the 2026/2027 edition of the challenge are open until November 25, 2026. Full details are available on the program’s website.
Conclusion
While ChatGPT can propose several solutions in seconds, it remains the human task to decide which problems are worth tackling and why. Developing creative problem-solving means encouraging questioning, experimentation, failure and independent argumentation — with AI used as a tool to practice, not to replace, thinking.
This content was produced on behalf of Samsung with the cooperation of HVG BrandLab. The editorial teams of hvg.hu and HVG weekly were not involved in producing the content.
