Educating children for the AI era without weakening cognition

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Educating children for the AI era without weakening cognition

Published: 03 Mar. 2026, 00:04

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Kang Hye-ryun

The author is an emeritus professor at Ewha Womans University.

A growing body of research suggests that today’s young people may become the first generation to perform worse than their parents not only economically but cognitively. A report submitted to a U.S. Senate hearing by cognitive neuroscientist Jared Horvath, examining the effects of technology on American adolescents, has drawn particular attention.

According to the report, today’s children and teenagers — often described as Generation Z — are the first cohort in history to show lower performance than previous generations across most cognitive measures, including attention, memory, literacy and numeracy. Horvath argues that the decline is closely linked to the widespread introduction of digital technologies in classrooms beginning around 2010.

A visitor looks around exhibition booths at the “2026 Korea Education Expo” held at Coex in Gangnam District, Seoul, on Jan. 21. The event highlighted changes in the learning environment as education moves beyond the AI era toward artificial general intelligence, with global tech companies and leading domestic edtech firms showcasing technologies ready for use in schools. [NEWS1]

The rapid spread of artificial intelligence, which is reshaping how people live and work, raises a fundamental educational question: What should students learn and how should they learn it? Earlier this year, the government unveiled a national action plan on AI that includes mandatory AI education at all levels of elementary, middle and high school, along with revisions to curricula and textbooks.

Yet regardless of school policy, AI has already become part of students’ daily lives. According to the Korea Press Foundation’s “2025 Youth Media Use Survey,” seven out of 10 adolescents have used conversational or generative AI tools.

Does studying with tools such as ChatGPT improve learning outcomes? A recent report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) offers a cautionary answer. Case studies from several countries show that students who rely on AI may see short-term gains in grades but ultimately perform worse than peers who studied without such tools. Researchers attribute this to students bypassing the process of thinking through problems themselves and therefore failing to build real competence.

A separate study by researchers at the University of Cambridge underscores the developmental risks. The human brain undergoes rapid growth between the ages of nine and 32, a period during which learning and experience shape its long-term maturation. If students outsource information processing to AI tools during these years, the brain may develop less fully.

Demis Hassabis, the CEO of Google DeepMind and a leading figure in AI innovation, has emphasized a similar point in discussions on education. While adaptability will be essential in the AI era, students must learn to combine their passions with foundational disciplines that address fundamental principles. This view aligns with the OECD’s recommendation that core knowledge and skills in major subjects should be acquired without AI assistance first — much like learning basic arithmetic before using a calculator.

The changing labor market also highlights the enduring value of human abilities. As AI-generated content proliferates, leading technology companies such as Google and Microsoft have recently posted job openings seeking storytelling specialists. Despite advances in content generation, AI still struggles to create narratives that convey human experience and emotion. Stories grounded in culture, art and history remain powerful sources of inspiration and intuition.

History offers telling examples. Albert Einstein and Steve Jobs were deeply influenced by William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” (1603) and “King Lear” (1606), while Elon Musk has cited science fiction as shaping his vision for innovation. Such works demonstrate how imagination and narrative can expand the boundaries of human thought.

In an era often described as one of AI supremacy, the path for human resilience lies in nurturing the desire to achieve through effort and persistence. Even if AI comes to perform tasks once associated with doctors, lawyers or writers, it cannot replace the human drive for accomplishment.

Several participants, including Seoul Metropolitan Government's Superintendent of Education Chung Keun-sik, third from right, hold a memorandum of understanding signing ceremony during an event for an AI-based personalized teaching and learning platform at the Mondrian Hotel in Yongsan District, Seoul on Dec. 17, 2025. [NEWS1]

Explanations for why younger generations may be poorer than their parents often focus on structural factors such as low economic growth and soaring housing prices. Yet strengthening the inner capacities of children and adolescents is an area where education policy can make a difference.

The human brain evolved to learn through interaction, reflection and sustained attention rather than through passive engagement with screens. If children become overly dependent on convenient technologies and lose the habits of deep thinking and imagination, the next wave of innovation may be driven more by machines than by people.

AI literacy will be necessary, but foundational human skills must not be neglected. Reading, writing — including handwriting — and disciplined thinking should be reinforced at both school and home to ensure that technological progress strengthens rather than diminishes human potential.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.