Neil Postman on AI and education: An imagined speech (2025).

The article centers on an imagined 2025 speech by media theorist Neil Postman addressing artificial intelligence’s (AI) impact on education. It presents Postman’s critical perspective that AI, as a "metaphor-defining machine," reshapes fundamental human activities like writing and thinking, but cannot cultivate judgement, values, or moral understanding—core aims of education. The speech warns against relying on AI for efficiency at the expense of intellectual struggle, empathy, and human presence in teaching and learning. It urges educators to preserve their role as facilitators of curiosity and critical thought, and challenges students to prioritize wisdom and meaning over mere accuracy or output. Ultimately, the speech emphasizes that education’s essential task is to help individuals remain fully human in an AI-driven world.