Are technology and AI making us increasingly ‘hasty’ readers? Experts concerned about impact on critical thinking

The growing use of digital technology and AI may be changing reading habits and affecting people’s ability to concentrate and think critically. Prof Annabel Chen, Director of the Centre for Research and Development in Learning at NTU, said the digital environment can fragment a person’s attention. Rapid task-switching and multiple sources of digital information competing for attention can disrupt a person’s ability to focus on one thing for an extended period. She cautioned that excessive reliance on technology may reduce opportunities to practise the thinking processes needed to build lasting knowledge and understanding. Assoc Prof Loh Chin Ee from the English Language and Literature Academic Group at NIE, NTU, said that hasty reading could make it harder for people to distinguish reliable information from false or misleading content, while relying on AI to do the thinking could deprive students of an important part of the learning process.

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