Students Use AI — So What?

The New Reality: Students Are Reading Less, but Learning Differently

Today’s students read fewer books for pleasure than any previous generation. In 1976, about 40% of high school seniors read six or more books a year for fun. By 2022, that number had dropped to just over 10%.

Instead of reading novels or essays, young people now spend more time on their phones—watching videos, scrolling through posts, and, increasingly, using AI tools to write essays or summarize information.

Yet, as linguist and professor John McWhorter argues, this doesn’t necessarily signal intellectual decline. Instead, it reflects a shift in how people access and process information.

AI Isn’t the Enemy of Learning

McWhorter challenges the fear that AI and short-form content are destroying students’ ability to think critically.

He writes that it’s misguided to “feel wistful for a time when students had far less information at their fingertips.” Rather than fighting technology, educators should adapt to it—because students will use AI in their professional lives anyway.

In his view, AI writing tools like ChatGPT don’t ruin education; they reveal what education needs to become.

Books Still Matter — But They’re Not Everything

Critics often argue that fewer books and more screens lead to “communal stupidity.” McWhorter disagrees. He believes that print and digital media can coexist, and that the internet has expanded opportunities for thoughtful discussion through Substack newsletters, podcasts, and online essays.

He also observes that his own daughters, though not “bookworms,” still read — just more selectively. They prefer modern fantasy series and compelling storytelling over traditional classics, which reflects a change in engagement, not a decline in intelligence.

The Myth That Reading Alone Builds Better Thinkers

Another major point: the belief that reading is the only path to critical thinking is outdated.

McWhorter argues that insisting books are superior to videos or podcasts is an “ex post facto justification for old habits.” Humans are visual and auditory learners. If video had existed first, he suggests, people wouldn’t have wished for less engaging, text-only formats.

He even compares it to older debates — such as those claiming radio was better than TV because it “demanded imagination.” In truth, every medium has its strengths.

Rethinking Education in the AI Era

McWhorter admits that traditional essay writing — the five-paragraph analysis of Aristotle or Jane Austen — is becoming obsolete.

He no longer assigns abstract essays that AI can easily produce. Instead, he focuses on in-class writing, personal reflection, and real-time discussion — assignments AI cannot replicate.

This approach shifts education from rote output to authentic thinking and engagement, ensuring students learn to reason, not just regurgitate.

AI and Grammar: A Modern Solution, Not a Threat

AI tools also challenge the need to memorize outdated grammar rules. McWhorter notes that many grammar conventions — like “who vs. whom” or “fewer vs. less” — are arbitrary linguistic fashions, not fundamental to communication.

AI now helps students write clearly and correctly without spending hours learning every rule. For him, this is progress — just as calculators replaced manual arithmetic.

A Parent’s Perspective: Encouragement, Not Control

As a parent and linguist, McWhorter accepts that his children may never read Tolstoy as he did. But he values that they now have a wider range of content — from literature to podcasts to creative online videos.

His role, he says, is to guide them toward quality, not force them into old habits. If AI and digital media free students from mechanical tasks like grammar drills, they may finally have more time to think deeply about ideas that matter.

Key Takeaway: Teaching Students How to Think, Not Just Write

McWhorter concludes that educators shouldn’t fear AI or lament the death of deep reading. The real goal is to teach how to think, interpret, and question — skills that no AI can replace.

The classroom of the future will rely less on memorization and more on dialogue, creativity, and intellectual independence — values that AI can enhance rather than erase.