At the moment, I’m doing a little bit of work as a maternity cover. As such, I’ve had quite a lot of interaction with pre-university students. It takes me back to the time when I was doing my A-levels. Things are exceedingly different for the present-day student, from when I was studying.
There is a point at which I feel a little bit of envy, and this is specifically with regard to the access to information. They have everything at the tip of their fingers. At a click, they have all the relevant information in front of them. I compare this to the time when I took an A-level subject called Government and Politics. I only had access to one out of thirty books on the reading list, and because there were only a couple of copies in the library, my parents had to buy me the book, which cost a pretty penny. This is where the discontent ends.
I do not want to criticize this younger generation, and I don’t write with this intent. I am worried about what I’m witnessing. There are some terribly bright, curious minds, which I find exciting. Then, there’s a large majority, which don’t seem to know how to use the wonderful tools of artificial intelligence that is on hand.
What I mean by this is that the larger majority don’t seem interested. I don’t know if this is because of how easy it is to access information, that learning doesn’t feel necessary. It has been precious to watch those who have been so concerned about understanding and application, because I am also witnessing those who are using AI to churn out things that they’ve been asked to do. It takes a few seconds for AI to produce a set of questions, prepare a presentation, or even write an assignment. Where is the learning if AI is the one behind the production? It is almost like they are outsourcing their thinking to AI. I stand to be corrected on this, but my reason for thinking this is the inability to reproduce the same level of accuracy or fluency when doing a piece of work without depending on AI, or when called to make an oral explanation.
Access to information is a wonderful thing. It is progress, and despite the vastness of information out there, we should celebrate its existence. However, caution must be applied. Not all information is good or useful. When I was just starting out, I learnt how blindly copying precedents, even the ones obtained from other senior, knowledgeable lawyers, was simply not good form. I learnt how I needed to work out the needs of my own cases and ensure that whatever I was preparing was sturdy enough to reflect these. This learning helped me when I transitioned into learning and development work. I learnt to tweak or write programs to achieve learning needs. Even when using AI, I notice that this isn’t achievable, unless I make the adaptations.
It feels like the people of my generation, and the ones before, gained this experience because we were forced to be innovative and creative. We didn’t have the power of AI to work with. Perhaps this helped us develop a sense of resilience when we made mistakes. We learnt to take feedback.
There is a compelling MIT Media Lab study that was referenced in Time Magazine (June 2025) (https://time.com/7295195/ai-chatgpt-google-learning-school/), which found that images of brain function of young people lessened when there was an over-dependence on AI. This mustn’t be allowed to continue. Whilst the sample in the study was small, and deeper, bigger studies need to be done, there is a warning that we must heed. Humanity has always thrived when we have been at our innovative best. If we outsource it now, we lose all the learning and experience that brought us here.
Perhaps this problem reveals the greater need for emotional intelligence. We need it to make sure we are aware of how we are growing and how we participate in this age of artificial intelligence. Are we giving in to our insecurities or fears of failure, and handing over the reins to AI, or are we showing up in a way that is still forcing us to confront our demons, while holding on to the controls.
AI is here to stay. So is EQ. AI doesn’t have the chops to replace EQ, and we need to recognize what a wonderful learning opportunity this is. Deepening our emotional intelligence in the age of artificial intelligence is a sure way of helping us remain authentic in our learning and experience of the acquisition of knowledge. How are we going to inspire the younger generation in this?
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