Martha Minow warns AI threatens democracy, suggests better tools

A major focus was AI's role in education, where Minow warned that dominant platforms encourage passivity and hinder critical thinking, especially among young people. She noted that existing large language models often replace student work rather than enhancing it. To counter this, she proposed developing AI tools that act as tutors, providing nudges and hints to deepen human curiosity rather than replacing cognitive effort.

Minow also addressed the decline in journalism, citing a 75 percent reduction in journalists in recent decades, which has led to increased corruption in areas without local media. She called for the creation of an "information commons" to provide reliable data. Despite these challenges, she expressed optimism that civic-minded technologists can invent better systems to protect reason and evidence-based discourse.