Centuries ago, scholars were reputed to possess extraordinary mnemonic skills, exemplified by the ability to recall exact words from texts as extensive as the Talmud, a central Jewish religious work spanning thousands of pages. While the veracity of some of these anecdotes may be uncertain, the broader tradition of ars memoria—the art of memory—has played a significant role in human intellectual history. From ancient Roman figures like Cicero to medieval theologians such as Thomas Aquinas, mastery of memory was once a critical tool for scholarship and communication. Over time, however, the advent of writing, printed books, and digital technologies progressively diminished the necessity of such skills, shifting the burden of information retention from human minds to external media.

Now, the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) poses new challenges for education and foundational skills such as literacy and numeracy. Recent data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), published this week, indicates a continuing and accelerating decline in these core competencies among young people worldwide, a trend that began notably around 2009, coinciding with the increased penetration of smartphones and social media in youths’ daily lives.

Experts warn that as AI systems become more capable of performing complex calculations and textual analysis, there is a risk that students may feel less incentive to develop their own critical skills. This is particularly concerning given AI’s uneven reliability. While AI can excel at certain tasks, it can also generate incorrect or misleading information with confidence. Therefore, preserving strong human capabilities in literacy and numeracy is essential to critically assess and effectively utilize AI outputs.

The OECD’s findings also highlight contrasting national experiences. England’s education system, for example, has maintained stable levels of literacy and numeracy by emphasizing fundamental skills—despite global downward trends. Meanwhile, Scotland and Wales have experienced notable declines after adopting more experimental and future-oriented educational approaches, such as “21st century learning” frameworks, which critics argue have distracted from reinforcing basic competencies crucial for success in an AI-driven future.

Concerns that AI and other technologies might undermine foundational skills echo past anxieties, such as those encountered when calculators were introduced into classrooms in the 1980s. Over time, educators adapted by differentiating instruction and assessment between calculator-assisted and non-assisted calculation, ultimately improving mathematical fluency and understanding.

Drawing lessons from this history, experts advocate for educational strategies that combine teaching students to use AI tools effectively while simultaneously ensuring they develop and maintain essential skills independently of technology. Such dual-focused instruction and evaluation could provide a balanced approach to preparing future generations to thrive in an era increasingly influenced by artificial intelligence.