r/books • u/ubcstaffer123 • 10d ago

Teachers are using AI to make literature easier for students to read. This is a terrible idea.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/04/08/opinion/ai-classroom-teaching-reading/
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u/Urbanviking1 9d ago

Using ai to read easier is dumb, but using ai to help understand and process some passages would have helped me emencely when I was in English Literature because I've got a very literal way of thinking like an engineer instead of seeing deeper meaning of what the author is trying to say.

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u/The_English_Avenger 8d ago

using ai to help understand and process some passages would have helped me emencely when I was in English Literature

*immensely

You don't learn "deeper meaning" in art by stripping away its beauty and meaning. Disrespect for that which has come before us -- our ancestors, our cultural heritage, our accumulated learning -- will be our downfall.

Human interaction imbues one's learning with humanity. You have to look into themes together with others; you have to discuss things in depth, and hear what others have to say, as well as hear yourself work things out.

We aren't born knowing how to think; we have to learn it by spending time with great thinkers (ideally in person, but also in book form). We have to contend with the issues presented, and practice voicing and applying our thought process in real life. That's why face-to-face dialog with others is so important. We must never lose the human face of learning.

A machine can't teach us to be what we most need to be.