Time To Say Goodbye How to Think and Read in a World of AI with Zena Hitz
May 1, 2025
Zena Hitz, a philosopher and tutor at St. John's College, dives deep into the implications of AI on education and intellectual life. She discusses the balance between traditional scholarship and AI's capabilities, emphasizing that human engagement is irreplaceable. The conversation critiques current educational models, highlighting the importance of critical thinking over mere knowledge accumulation. Hitz also reflects on how we navigate learning in a technology-driven world, urging a reconsideration of meaningful education amid the challenges posed by AI.
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AI Mirrors Low-Quality Scholarship
- Contemporary scholarship often floods academia with low-value output, which AI can mimic easily.
- Genuine intellectual inquiry demands original thought and deep engagement beyond automated responses.
Learning Is Personal and Deep
- True learning develops from personal engagement with texts, not shortcuts.
- Automated summaries or AI outputs cannot replicate the enriching process of reading and thinking.
Academic Decline Enables AI Replacement
- The erosion of academic standards has created vulnerability to AI replacing scholarship.
- AI can replicate superficial work but fails at deeper, creative scholarship.
