Source
The New York Times
Summary
Anastasia Berg, a philosophy professor at the University of California, Irvine, contends that even minimal reliance on AI tools threatens students’ cognitive development and linguistic competence. Drawing on her experience of widespread AI use in a moral philosophy course, Berg argues that generative AI erodes the foundational processes of reading, reasoning, and self-expression that underpin higher learning and democratic citizenship. While past technologies reshaped cognition, she claims AI uniquely undermines the human capacity for thought itself by outsourcing linguistic effort. Berg calls for renewed emphasis on tech-free learning environments to protect students’ intellectual autonomy and critical literacy.
Key Points
- Over half of Berg’s students used AI to complete philosophy exams.
- AI shortcuts inhibit linguistic and conceptual growth central to thinking.
- Even “harmless” uses, like summarising, weaken cognitive engagement.
- Cognitive decline could threaten democratic participation and self-rule.
- Universities should create tech-free spaces to rebuild reading and writing skills.
Keywords
URL
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/opinion/ai-students-thinking-school-reading.html
Summary generated by ChatGPT 5
