Why Reading Books Still Matters in the Age of AI (ICC Blog # 139)

Physical Vs AI Assisted Learning

Young students using AI tools cannot be stopped anymore—and frankly, they shouldn’t be. AI has become ubiquitous in our lives, woven into how we search, explain, and even think. But there is an uncomfortable truth we need to confront early, especially in schools and colleges: learning with AI is not the same as learning deeply.

Learning at a young age—and learning anything truly new—is a cognitively demanding process. Reading a book on a new subject is cognitively demanding for me even today, at my age. That effort is not a flaw of the system; it is the system.

AI, with its extraordinary knowledge and instant explanations, undeniably eases the learning process. It lowers friction. It reduces confusion. It makes entry into a subject smoother. But at the same time, it often weakens the permanence of learning for a beginner. What feels like understanding may not last very long.

The difference, I believe, can be best understood through a simple analogy.

The RAM vs. ROM Problem in Learning

In computers, RAM stores information temporarily—only as long as an application is running. Once the system shuts down, the data disappears unless it has been saved elsewhere. Permanent storage lives in the hard drive or cloud.

Learning that relies only on AI tools functions much like RAM.

You understand something while the conversation is open. You follow the logic. You nod along. But days or weeks later, the understanding fades. The knowledge was never truly “saved.”

Reading from a book, on the other hand, is like writing to long-term storage. It is slower. It requires patience, concentration, and often discomfort. You reread paragraphs. You struggle with unfamiliar terms. You pause to think. But that effort is precisely what forces the brain to encode information deeply.

In my view, learning without books and relying primarily on AI tools is like storing knowledge in RAM—useful in the moment, but fragile. Learning with books helps move that knowledge into long-term memory.

Why Practice Matters Even More Than Explanation

This problem becomes even clearer in subjects that demand repetition and skill-building: languages, speaking, mathematics, science, programming.

An AI can explain a concept flawlessly. It can even solve problems instantly. But explanation without practice does not create mastery.

Languages require speaking and listening repeatedly. Math requires solving problems by hand. Science requires experimentation and connection across ideas.

Without sustained practice, even book-based knowledge decays. Without books and practice, knowledge evaporates even faster—much like data stored only in volatile memory.

This is why students often perform well immediately after using AI tools but struggle to explain the same concept weeks later. The cognitive work was partially outsourced, and what the brain does not work for, it does not retain.

AI Is a Powerful Assistant—Not a Substitute

This is not an argument against AI. It is an argument against AI-only learning.

AI is an excellent scaffold:

• for quick clarification

• for alternative explanations

• for lowering the initial barrier to difficult subjects

But books demand something AI does not: sustained attention. They force linear thinking. They encourage connections across chapters and ideas. They slow the learner down just enough for real understanding to take root.

In education, speed is often confused with progress. But depth rarely comes fast.

A Balanced Way Forward

For students:

Use AI to orient yourself—but return to books to consolidate. After an AI explanation, close the app and read the same concept from a textbook. Try explaining it in your own words. That friction is where learning becomes permanent.

For parents and educators:

The goal is not to ban AI, but to ensure that children still engage in cognitively demanding learning. Books are not outdated—they are training grounds for focus, reasoning, and memory.

Closing Thought

AI will only get better. But the human brain has not changed at the same pace.

If we want learners who don’t just access knowledge but own it, we must still value the slow, effortful process of reading, thinking, and practicing. In a world optimized for convenience, choosing cognitive effort may be the most important educational decision we make.

Does this idea resonate with you? Have you noticed subjects where learning from books made the difference between temporary understanding and lasting mastery?