AI

Jason Reynolds on What AI Is Quietly Stealing From The Next Generation

Edutopia
Edutopia•May 27, 2026

Why It Matters

If unchecked, this shift could weaken workforce readiness, diminish everyday competence, and increase societal vulnerability when systems malfunction, making resilience and hands-on learning critical policy and educational priorities.

Summary

Author and educator Jason Reynolds warns that AI is quietly eroding not just skills but young people’s fortitude and capacity to cope when technology fails. He argues that overreliance on AI-generated instruction or conveniences—illustrated by scenarios like drivers who can’t use mirrors without a reverse camera or people who can’t cook when delivery apps fail—produces panic and mental degradation. Reynolds fears this dependence will create a generation that undervalues effort and lacks practical problem-solving abilities. He frames the issue as broader than skill loss, describing a threat to resilience and self-reliance.

Original Description

Life—much like learning—is filled with friction. New, emerging technologies increasingly promise to smooth those rough edges. But that same impulse toward ease in learning, warns author Jason Reynolds (https://www.jasonwritesbooks.com/), is quietly robbing a generation of an opportunity to develop something far more valuable: fortitude.
For many kids, AI has become deeply embedded in their learning process, and they’re leaning on it to do their reading and writing. Edutopia asked Reynolds in a recent interview: How do you make the case to students that the hard work of developing literacy skills is important?  
For more from Reynolds (author of more than 20 books, including the New York Times best-sellers All American Boys, Long Way Down, and Ghost), check out our recent interview with him: https://www.edutopia.org/article/jason-reynolds-young-readers
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