Ezra Klein

Ethan Mollick, who's an AI expert, he's got this idea that has been influential for me about the best available human. Is AI better for you in a certain purpose? Not than the best human. but the best human available to you at a given moment.

Ethan Mollick, who's an AI expert, he's got this idea that has been influential for me about the best available human. Is AI better for you in a certain purpose? Not than the best human. but the best human available to you at a given moment.

So yes, having a professional excellent editor like my editor at the New York Times would be better, but most people don't have that available. So AI is better than the best available editor to them. There's a lot more demand for therapy than there are therapists.

So yes, having a professional excellent editor like my editor at the New York Times would be better, but most people don't have that available. So AI is better than the best available editor to them. There's a lot more demand for therapy than there are therapists.

So oftentimes AI is, you know, and particularly where it's going, even for me sometimes, it's a better therapist than the best available therapist I have available at a given moment. It certainly seems plausibly true in education too.

So oftentimes AI is, you know, and particularly where it's going, even for me sometimes, it's a better therapist than the best available therapist I have available at a given moment. It certainly seems plausibly true in education too.

There's all kinds of times when you are confused by what you are reading, what you are learning, and you're in a big class and it's embarrassing to ask 55 questions or there's even time to ask 55 questions and you don't want to seem stupid. But if you could contain the system somehow. And that seems more plausible here where there's a fundamental prompt at the core of them.

There's all kinds of times when you are confused by what you are reading, what you are learning, and you're in a big class and it's embarrassing to ask 55 questions or there's even time to ask 55 questions and you don't want to seem stupid. But if you could contain the system somehow. And that seems more plausible here where there's a fundamental prompt at the core of them.

Then, you know, if we got that right, you know, in a lot of these use cases, it could be really powerful.

Then, you know, if we got that right, you know, in a lot of these use cases, it could be really powerful.

So then let me ask you about the other impulse somebody might have, which is not that you're going to be replaced by somebody who knows how to use AI, but that in a world where we have AIs, the most important thing for human beings to be is as human as possible.

So then let me ask you about the other impulse somebody might have, which is not that you're going to be replaced by somebody who knows how to use AI, but that in a world where we have AIs, the most important thing for human beings to be is as human as possible.

And that what we need to do is return to more classical education, reading the great books, developing the attentional faculties that a lot of data and anecdata suggest that even very elite students are losing, to read a long book and think about it, to write a long essay. to be educated in the way that was considered high civilization education 70 years ago, and you might get at a St.

And that what we need to do is return to more classical education, reading the great books, developing the attentional faculties that a lot of data and anecdata suggest that even very elite students are losing, to read a long book and think about it, to write a long essay. to be educated in the way that was considered high civilization education 70 years ago, and you might get at a St.

John's or a U of Chicago or certain private schools today. AI is going to be everywhere. School should be a place not where we learn how to partner with machines because the rest of society is going to tell you how to do that. School should be a place where we develop specifically human faculties.

John's or a U of Chicago or certain private schools today. AI is going to be everywhere. School should be a place not where we learn how to partner with machines because the rest of society is going to tell you how to do that. School should be a place where we develop specifically human faculties.

such that we are capable and flexible and attentive in moving through a world that we just cannot predict.

such that we are capable and flexible and attentive in moving through a world that we just cannot predict.

But what do you think about this idea that school should be a rare screen-free oasis in a child's life? I've sometimes imagined a school that, you know, I could send my kids to. I'm not saying it exists just in my head.

But what do you think about this idea that school should be a rare screen-free oasis in a child's life? I've sometimes imagined a school that, you know, I could send my kids to. I'm not saying it exists just in my head.