Subvolts take AI challenges education's core purpose, forcing a rethink of learning and teaching. Nov 6, 2025 - Business
- Understand how AI is forcing a reevaluation of educational institutions and their long-term strategies.
- Everyday users
- Learn how AI is changing the landscape of learning and what it means for students and educators.
This episode offers a thoughtful discussion on AI's profound impact on education, featuring educators' perspectives.
How AI is fueling an existential crisis in education
Audio streams from The Verge. Your place is remembered on this device.
From Subvolts
Summary and analysis by Subvolts editorial, AI-assisted.
Decoder with Nilay Patel explores how generative AI is creating an existential crisis in education. The episode features voices of teachers across K-12 and college levels, questioning the fundamental purpose of education amid concerns about student cheating and the broader philosophical implications of AI's integration into learning.
Generative AI, like ChatGPT, is making students question why they learn and teachers question their methods. It's not just about cheating; it's about whether schools are still teaching the right things in the right way.
This episode is for educators, students, and parents grappling with AI's impact on learning. It moves beyond simple cheating concerns to examine the deeper philosophical questions about education's purpose. Listeners will understand how AI challenges traditional teaching and assessment methods. This connects to frontier labs like OpenAI and Google Gemini, whose models are central to these discussions, forcing institutions to reevaluate their educational philosophies.
- HostNilay Patel
- Episode Title: How AI is fueling an existential crisis in education
- Show: Decoder with Nilay Patel
- Length: 40 minutes
- Majority of high school students use gen AI for schoolwork: Source: College Board
- Quarter of teens have used ChatGPT for schoolwork: Source: Pew Research
We keep hearing over and over that generative AI is causing massive problems in education, both in K-12 schools and at the college level. Lots of people are worried about students using ChatGPT to cheat on assignments, and that is a problem. But really, the issues go a lot deeper, to the very philosophy of education itself.
We sat down and talked to a lot of teachers — you’ll hear many of their voices throughout this episode — and we kept hearing one cri du coeur again and again: What are we even doing here? What’s the point?
Links:
- Majority of high school students use gen AI for schoolwork | College Board
- Quarter of teens have used ChatGPT for schoolwork | Pew Research
- Your brain on ChatGPT | MIT Media Lab
- My students think it’s fine to cheat with AI. Maybe they’re on to something. | Vox
- How children understand & learn from conversational AI | McGill University
- ‘File not Found’ | The Verge
Subscribe to The Verge to access the ad-free version of Decoder!
Credits:
Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Our producers are Kate Cox and Nick Statt. Our editor is Ursa Wright.
The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
- generative AI
- Nilay Patel
- AI that can create new content like text, images, or code.
- cri du coeur
- Teachers
- A cry from the heart, expressing deep emotion or distress.
1 h 28Satya Nadella — How Microsoft is preparing for AGI
WithSatya Nadella
25 minFrom Rabbit Holes to Recommendations: Reddit’s Vishal Gupta
WithVishal Gupta
39 minTigris Data CEO on Building Your Own Datacenters
WithOvais Tariq
Questions people ask
- What are the main concerns about AI in education?
- The primary concerns involve students using generative AI to cheat on assignments and a deeper philosophical questioning of education's purpose.
- What is the 'cri du coeur' mentioned in the show notes?
- It refers to teachers repeatedly asking 'What are we even doing here? What's the point?' as they grapple with AI's impact on their profession.
Page generated Oct 19, 2026. Summaries are Subvolts' own; the audio, artwork and notes belong to The Verge.