Is Learning Loses Its Heart: Rethinking AI’s Place in Students’ Intellectual Growth

Written by Dr. Fariha Gul, Academician, Researcher and Writer

Artificial intelligence is transforming education at a speed we are still trying to understand. It offers instant explanations, polished presentations, quick ideas, and seemingly endless information. At first glance, it feels like a powerful ally, something that can make learning faster, smoother, and more accessible. But beneath this convenience lies a deeper question: What happens to the essence of learning when students stop thinking for themselves?

While AI can gather general knowledge impressively, what it cannot do is often more important:

It cannot understand the lived reality of a local community.

It cannot interpret cultural values or restrictions.

It cannot sense socio-economic challenges or emotional weight.

It cannot differentiate between what is technically correct and what is contextually meaningful.

AI can generate text, but it cannot generate empathy. It can propose solutions, but it cannot truly understand the problems.

A Real Classroom Moment: When AI Took Over the Thinking

Recently, I saw this shift happen right in front of me. Students were asked to identify real, local challenges and develop innovative solutions using technology or AI. The purpose was not to use AI instead of thinking but to enhance their understanding and creativity.

Yet what I witnessed was startling:

Around 90% of the ideas were fully AI generated, generic, repetitive, and disconnected from actual local needs.

99% of the presentations were created by AI tools without refinement, personalization, or critical assessment.

When asked to explain their ideas, many students struggled. The words on the slides were fluent, but the understanding was absent.

It felt like students were turning in work that belonged to the AI, not to them.

The Illusion of Learning

This experience revealed an uncomfortable truth: AI can create the appearance of competence without the substance of understanding. Students are starting to rely on AI like a shortcut, one that replaces curiosity, exploration, and critical engagement.

The popular belief that AI will automatically help students learn “better and faster” is misleading. Yes, AI can deliver information swiftly, but it cannot help students own that knowledge. And if students stop searching beyond the first AI answer, if they stop questioning, verifying, or thinking, then learning becomes superficial.

The Human Skills at Risk

What’s at stake is not just academic performance. It’s the development of deeply human abilities:

• Critical thinking

• Contextual reasoning

• Ethical judgment

• Local awareness

• Creativity grounded in reality

• Communication and articulation

These are the skills that shape responsible citizens, compassionate professionals, and thoughtful innovators, skills that can’t be outsourced to AI.

Guiding Students, Not Blaming Them

This is not about criticizing students. They are using the tools we gave them, tools that promise ease and speed. The real responsibility lies in how we guide their use of technology.

• We need to teach students:

• how to question AI outputs,

• how to verify facts,

• how to adapt ideas to local needs,

• how to use AI as a supplement, not a substitute,

• and how to remain intellectually present.

Bringing Learning Back to Life

AI has a place in education, but not at the cost of human thinking. If we want AI to truly support learning, we must help students develop the wisdom and curiosity that AI lacks.

The goal is not to remove AI.

The goal is to restore balance.

AI should not replace the journey of inquiry. It should illuminate it, guided by the heart, mind, and experience of the learner.