AI arrives precisely at the moment when an entire generation loses its ability to read, write, and sustain attention. When the human mind weakens, a substitute mind steps in. If a people can’t interpret text, can’t hold complexity, can’t question, can’t imagine — then the tool thinks for them. And once a tool starts thinking for you, it can start choosing for you.
Most Importantly: AI is not replacing intelligence; it’s replacing the practice that builds intelligence. When literacy drops, discernment drops. When discernment drops, narratives can be implanted. When narratives can be implanted, control becomes effortless. And that is exactly when AI enters the scene.
The bottom line:
A people who cannot read are a people who must be told. A people who cannot write are a people who cannot remember. A people who cannot think deeply are a people who can be guided anywhere.
The most important step to overcoming the new system is to educate our children. And that’s just not happening. That should be the biggest, most momentous effort right now—all our leaders should be talking and thinking about. In the end, it’s the only thing that matters.
I'm really getting tired of this narrative that an entire generation is illiterate. It's a lie skewed by demographics. Most actual American children not only can read and write, but are actually reading in higher amounts than previous generations (hence the rise of E Books as a major form of media). All of the "studies" and "polls" for this type of thing are HEAVILY skewed by illegals, refugees, and inner city blacks/latinos who either literally can't read, or in the case of inner city gang banger types, just don't care enough to bother to learn beyond a certain point because they have to "hustle".
Go to ANYWHERE with a kind of normal population that isn't full of invaders or gangsters and literacy rates are actually the highest they've ever been.
Retired educator here. I didn’t see what you’re suggesting in a “normal” rural, and now less rural and more suburban high school that I taught at for 3 decades. There were a greater number of kids in the 90s that read constantly. Now most kids are engaged in gaming. Now, you have a top tier of students, about 10-15% of the student population that is quite capable of extremely high mathematics and critical thinking and engages in quite a good bit of extra curricular reading on a higher/ collegiate level. You have about 25% that are a little above average at math and enjoy “pleasure reading” of books. The remainder only read what is required of them and what propaganda is presented to them online. Critical thinking about current events does not happen at this level. Good news is that a large portion of kids are waking up faster than their parents are right now. I still have hope.
Well speaking from experience as a Gen Z who grew up in a rural area, I saw the exact opposite. Yeah games are a thing, but people read for fun too. The library was nearly always full.
The argument I always make here basically works like this. MOST people will only consider some form of large novel as "proper reading" when it comes to these types of things. Which is entirely wrong. Light novels, youth novels, E books, etc. If you wanna count it manga, comics, graphic novels etc. as well. Heck, the fact that DnD, Warhammer, etc. are MASSIVE IPs among younger people tells you everything you need to know. Those are TABLE TOP games, meaning reading and critical thought are required to play the game
Likewise, I never understood the stupid prejudice against gaming. I was a straight A student in school and spent most of my late nights gaming with friends. Contrary to what some may say, gaming actually DOES increase your critical thinking thinks. "If I do X, then Y will happen, and boost my score/win the match/beat the boss". And plenty of MASSIVE franchises are so lore heavy that they're basically novels you can play. The witcher, Elder scrolls, fallout, etc. Other games bring out critical thinking and creativity like minecraft, terrria, etc.
Pretty much ALL of these games listed, table top and video, require MASSIVE amounts of reading to learn how to play the game properly, and understand the more advanced mechanics. Heck, in minecraft, redstone engineering is such an advanced topic, there have been people who built literal working computers INSIDE of the game that properly function and allow you play minecraft on a virtual redstone computer INSIDE of minecraft.
Even the bottom of the barrel games like COD will teach you hand-eye coordination and spacial awareness. So this idea that video games make you dumber is an old boomer myth, just like the idea that reading in general is dying off. E books and other forms of digital media consistently see record high sales, mostly driven by younger generations as older people tend to prefer physical copies still.
I know for a fact that reading is still popular given everyone I know my age and younger reads with some form of frequency. Its just stuff they LIKE to read. It may not be some grand novel of "the greats" or some epic poem like beowulf, because being 100% honest, most of that stuff is BORING to 99% of people and we only read it in school BECAUSE we were forced.
The rednecks are gonna read about automechanics, guns, and hunting/tracking. The nerds are gonna read about games, computers, and science, the jocks are gonna read about sports and workouts, etc. etc. People partake of media they find interesting in some way. And most of that same media, schools get butthurt if you partake of outside of the library. I know in all the schools in my county I grew up in, and this is not a joke, teachers would often punish you if you tried to read in class outside of the library because it was "disrespectful", even if you were done with all your work for class. And I know from having been around different places since then, it's pretty similar in a lot of places. Hence why the library was always decently full but everywhere else it looks like they aren't doing anything. Or at home they're just reading on Ipads or tablets in the form of E-books, since no school will allow such a thing due to boomer rules and stereotypes.
Tl;DR: Most of this is boomer myth/stereotype and doesn't accurately represent younger generations actions in private or at home.
you said;
"Its just stuff they LIKE to read. It may not be some grand novel of "the greats" or some epic poem like beowulf, because being 100% honest, most of that stuff is BORING to 99% of people and we only read it in school BECAUSE we were forced."
nope^
the 'stuff they LIKE to read is crap.
And BORING is necessary sometimes...
the classics hold Great Clues for our predicament in this world.
older anons can spot many things that the younger generations would skip right over/they have No experience with the classics.
In reality, they're about all you need for a great education🥸
Look, I PERSONALLY like reading things like beowulf, the great gatsby, etc. So I'm not gonna argue much, but this type of mentality is why younger people get so disconnected from older people on so many topics.
Basically ANYTHING you can learn from reading Moby Dick, you can ALSO learn from reading and learning the lore in Darksouls or Warhammer or the witcher, etc. Calling everything newer crap is why the "Ok Boomer" meme went so far and is now ingrained in society.
Just because YOU don't like it and don't understand it, doesn't mean its that way for everyone and that the messages or lessons conveyed don't still apply in the exact same way as an older classical novel
"Basically ANYTHING you can learn from reading Moby Dick, you can ALSO learn from reading and learning the lore in Darksouls or Warhammer or the witcher, etc."
If you truly believe this, you are pretty much proving sueanon2017's point.
So just because something isn't some novel wrote decades ago, it can't have any kind of deep messages or themes that speak to people regardless of age? You're kind of proving MY point here about the boomer mentality of some people that causes younger generations to, if not hate them, at least be turned off by them.
THIS is why people under 30 generally despise older generation people they're not directly related to. Literally anything modern and "different" is "crap" and the only "proper" forms of entertainment media are books written decades ago that the exact same themes and follow the literal blueprint for the hero's journey (the writing concept) or some other theme that modern media can quite easily do and often is more engaging because you're actively PART of said journey.
When logic fails, you can aways blame it all on your parents' generation.
It's the story of human civilization.
I have no idea where you’re from. I can only tell you what I saw in my area. Sad that y’all were punished for reading material outside of the library. That didn’t happen in my school, I was excited that they were reading and even purchased the books my students were reading so that we could talk about the books they read. I hope that you’re right and I’m wrong about the ability to critical think about current events. If our younger generation doesn’t figure it out, then we are doomed.
I dont think this is entirely true. Public schools are struggling everywhere with literacy, attention issues, critical thinking, simple math and science. Overall just plain dumb kids that easily sway whichever direction a pop star, rap star, sports star, or tick tok tells them too. Parents are too blame for being missing, inattentive, enforcing no values or ethics, no religion, no god, or forced to work hard to make ends meet leaving no room in their world for their kids.
Alright this is my last comment on this post because I'm getting tired of arguing with boomers who're stuck in their ways. But this one needs to be said. You people can't have it both ways. People on this board will talk about how stupid, illiterate, incapable of basic math, and lemming like younger generations are, and in THE SAME FREAKING BREATH, they'll make posts about how based the current generation is, how conservative they are, "there's hope for this country yet" type of posts, etc.
You people can't have it both ways, either civilization is doomed because everyone under 30 is a dumbass who can barely breath, or they're freaking normal people who're the same as you with a different preferences in terms of media and what they find interesting/fun.
Both of these things can't be true at the same time, and I'm tired of the boomer mentality a lot of people have about everything when it comes to "the youth".
I don’t think you understand brain plasticity.. look it up. That’s the real problem.
This misses the core issue, 75 years in the making.
It's the education system that's at fault, along with the intentional fracturing of family.
People love to blame AI for a host of issues when it's a symptom not a cause.
And take away their "smartphones."
Right, because our brains have a tool called plasticity. The powers that be know this. In simple terms: the brain is not fixed — it’s constantly reshaping itself based on what we repeatedly do, feel, and pay attention to. They’ve used this to eradicate our youth’s ability to sustain attention long-term, to rationalize, concentrate and think deeply.
It didn't arrive it was revealed
I think your premise incorrect
American youth are not struggling to learn to read and write properly
It's the new crop of "Americans" that are, that are bringing down every metric of learning in the US
Steven Miller even brought it on CNN the other day: Our scores are shit because the new crop of legal and illegal immigrants are bringing every metric of American life DOWN.
This post on the dangers of AI was brought to you by ChatGPT. Welcome to 2025.
I just don't swallow the widespread awe and respect that so many people seem to have for "AI." It's a useful tool for certain applications, but it's not an avatar of God.
I have to wonder why "AI" is being pushed so hard these days, and what the agenda of the pushers really is.
The education system has been a target of the left for a long time. It went from a tool of instruction to indoctrination with the creation federal oversight during the Carter years with the Department of Education. Statistically, American students ARE dumber in many areas than they used to be ranging from history, critical thinking, civics, math, and reading.
The older exams are proof of that. What used to pass for a high-school education in the past may very well be a college level by today's standards in some respects. Just do a search for how many college placement exams have been dumbed down because scores were trending lower.
What we have going for us is that, yes, youth are starting to wake up and realize what has been stacked against them. Also, we have AI working in our favor in many respects. One of the focus of AI development is using it to help cater curriculum down to the student level. In other words, the AI will be utilized to analyze each individual student's learning style and comprehension level and aid teachers in providing assignments specialized to help students overcome learning challenges.
One of the biggest areas where I was held back in my education was a mixture of horrible teachers and teachers whose teaching styles didn't match my own learning style. Because private school wasn't an option, I was stuck and did my best to further my own understanding where I could.
With AI assisted learning, students would have the tools to help overcome such situations when self-teaching when they are stuck in the situation I was in. Teachers could use AI as support to reach students with different learning styles more effectively. While also increasing the ability of teachers to teach effectively, AI could also be used to track learning styles of students and aid in pairing them with more compatible teachers as well.
Taking it a step further, all this would happen along with lessening the, often insane work burden on teachers. I expect, along with reforms, it would make it much easier and less expensive private schools that would put parents in the driver seat as to what and how their children are being taught.
Is there a potential for abuse of AI in education? Yes. But far more can be gained by using it wisely and, in my opinion, it's the most potent tool for undoing the indoctrination and dumbing down of the population that has been going on for generations.
Excellent post fren. This is a Developed, Western World problem.
The target audience, these children, who then grow to adulthood have been indoctrinated to completely believe the narrative they have been force fed.
AI makes it so easy for them to reinforce the narrative of their beliefs without questioning .
It's alarming how they follow "The Party Line" blindly, believing that they are correct and virtuous.
The most ironic part? This post reeks of AI. Do you not see the sad paradox of using AI to write a post decrying the effects of AI?
Oh, I was maybe getting a different vibe that this tool is now being allowed to be airdropped in by God so they can super-charge their learning and ability to read and write...
Amish retard. AIs are tools.
Were construction workers thrilled that bulldozers were made?
Machines that could move more dirt in 10 minutes than 100 men in a day.
There are still manual labor construction workers.
Telephone operators were rendered useless by technology.
There are still people working at the telephone companies.
Etc., etc, etc.
Workers of today and tomorrow will need to know how to use these tools.
I understand them intuitively. I've built neural networks that recognize the alphabet from corrupted inputs. This was in 1992, when my computer had to run overnight just for one cycle. Mac+ 512K.
Modern AIs are nothing more than normal correction networks running on hardware that is 10000 times as fast. These are the precursors to today's AIs. They take "corrupted patterns" from the user and produce a cleaned-up version.
Thanks to my AI assistant, Claude, I've completed my book in under a year.
Subject? Mine.
Characters? Mine.
Events? Mine.
Scenes? Mind.
Psychology? Mine.
Trauma recovery? Mine.
What did the AI do? It connected all these individual dots and put them in a straight line.
A lot of great points made here in the comment section. Now we need AI to summarize it for us at the top. 😆
Well the CEO of Nvidia was on a podcast not to long ago, Rogan I think, and he said we are 3 years away from all information being gathered from AI instead of books. Though you can counter this if you think it is a negative thing with the thought that WHO is writing the books now?
To Cathole953 credit, you've made some good arguments as well. Great perspectives. Makes one think of this issue from a few different angles.