‘I hate what AI is doing to the minds and happiness of the young’: Katherine Rundell on the view from the classroom

I hate what AI is doing to young minds

Wanderstayfinder.com – “I hate what AI is doing” — this is the sentiment Katherine Rundell expresses when reflecting on modern education. The Oxford University fellow and acclaimed children’s author has spent years working with young people, and she’s noticed a troubling shift. Artificial intelligence, once celebrated as an educational revolution, is becoming an iron curtain that separates children from their own capacity to think, struggle, and grow. When asked about her concerns, Rundell doesn’t mince words: I hate what AI is doing to the minds and happiness of the young.

Rundell’s concerns extend far beyond the classroom walls. She argues that if someone were to design a tool specifically for authoritarian control, it would look remarkably like artificial intelligence. The technology destabilizes shared reality, creates disinformation at unprecedented scales, and enables mass surveillance—all without requiring armies of human workers. Perhaps most concerning is how AI accelerates inequality, transferring wealth and power from the many to a small group of individuals whose views about human dignity remain questionable. I hate what AI is doing, she says, because it threatens the very foundations of democratic participation.

The Double-Edged Sword of Innovation

There is no denying AI’s potential. The technology could revolutionize medicine, accelerate cancer treatments, assist disabled individuals, and transform how we understand complex data. It might democratize legal access and strengthen disaster warning systems. Yet none of these benefits matter if AI ends up controlled by those who would exploit rather than empower. I hate what AI is doing to the balance of power, Rundell observes, noting that the benefits often flow upward while the costs are borne by ordinary people.

Most of all, if you were a would-be autocrat, you would love the way that large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, Claude and Google’s Gemini have thrown a grenade into thousands of years of teaching and learning: the way they threaten to upend our ability to think with the robust clarity that is needed in emergencies of justice.

What makes Rundell’s perspective particularly valuable is her dual role as both a fiction writer and academic. She has witnessed firsthand how generative AI has infiltrated young people’s daily lives. Simultaneously, she has observed how this technological shift has illuminated something fundamental: books and reading remain essential to our shared understanding of identity and democratic participation.

Specific Grievances with the Technology

Rundell lists several concerns that go beyond the typical debates about AI. She objects to the technology’s ability to create counterfeit humans—computer-generated people who could destabilize civilization itself. She resents that many large language models were built through what she describes as an illegal pillage of human labor. Environmental concerns weigh heavily as well; AI-optimized data centers are projected to exceed Japan’s entire electrical demand by the decade’s end. I hate what AI is doing to the environment, she adds, pointing to the massive energy consumption required to power these systems.

But her most personal concern centers on children. Every day spent in schools makes her more certain that AI is not suited for young people. The technology risks halting learning before it can truly develop. Research consistently shows that AI-assisted learners surrender more easily. One study revealed that after merely ten minutes of AI-assisted problem-solving, participants who lost access to the technology performed worse and gave up more frequently than those who had never used it at all.

Cognitive Surrender in the Digital Age

An MIT study provided additional evidence, showing that test groups using ChatGPT demonstrated the lowest brain activity and consistently underperformed across neural, linguistic, and behavioral measures. Rundell describes this phenomenon as cognitive surrender rather than simple offloading—humans forget what they were capable of achieving independently. I hate what AI is doing to our cognitive resilience, she explains, because it trains young minds to expect immediate answers rather than develop patience and persistence.

The tactile nature of reading has long been understood to help children extract deeper meaning from text. Paper provides a physical connection that screens cannot replicate. Yet educational technology is driving learning increasingly online. Rundell’s teenage goddaughter reports that nearly every student in her class now uses ChatGPT for homework assignments.

Perhaps most troubling is how AI-generated work gets mistaken for genuine mastery. When a child’s output no longer reflects their true understanding, they become vulnerable to two forces: their desire for speed and their anxiety about appearing incompetent. This creates a situation where young people may never develop the stamina needed to conquer frustration or the confidence to invent independently.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Katherine Rundell’s main concern about AI? Rundell’s primary concern is that AI is harming young minds by reducing their ability to think independently, struggle productively, and develop cognitive resilience. She believes AI creates cognitive surrender where children forget what they can achieve on their own.

How does AI affect children’s learning according to research? Studies show that AI-assisted learners surrender more easily when faced with challenges. One MIT study found that after just ten minutes of AI-assisted problem-solving, participants performed worse and gave up more frequently than those who hadn’t used AI.

What environmental impact does AI have? AI-optimized data centers are projected to exceed Japan’s entire electrical demand by the end of the decade, representing a significant environmental concern that Rundell highlights alongside her educational criticisms.

Does Rundell oppose all AI technology? No. She acknowledges AI’s potential to revolutionize medicine, assist disabled individuals, and transform data understanding. Her concern is specifically about how AI is being implemented in education and its effects on young minds.

What does Rundell suggest we do about AI in education? Rundell suggests that we should question whether we should embrace new technology for efficiency’s sake or fight back to preserve something essential about how young minds develop. She advocates for maintaining the balance between technological advancement and human cognitive development.

As education stands at this crossroads, the question remains whether we should embrace new technology for efficiency’s sake or fight back to preserve something essential about how young minds develop. Rundell’s answer, drawn from years of classroom observation, suggests that the cost of AI may be higher than we realize—not just for individual students, but for the future of human thought itself. I hate what AI is doing, she concludes, but she believes we can still change course if we act now.