tech
Stanford professor teaches his classes ‘tech-free’—here’s the skill he wants his students to build
"Just as we must be responsible for our bodies in an era of office work, we must now keep our minds active," says Jamil Zaki, director of the Stanford Social Neuroscience Lab.
TL;DR
- 85% of undergraduates use AI in their coursework, with many having bots write essays.
- A Stanford professor has made his courses tech-free and uses blue books for handwritten exams.
- Writing is increasingly seen as a vital skill for maintaining cognitive function and critical thinking.
- AI writing can lead to "textual pollution," producing shallow, uninspired content.
- Writing from the mind is presented as an act of resistance against AI-generated mediocrity and a gift to others.
- Allowing AI to do thinking for us is termed "cognitive surrender," which can dull intellectual abilities.
- Writing deepens critical thinking, improves memory, and can reduce anxiety and depression.
- The author compares the need to actively keep our minds sharp through writing to the need for physical exercise in sedentary work environments.