Computer scientist Paul Graham has predicted that artificial intelligence (AI) may lead to a drastic decline in writing skills over the next two decades. With increasing AI use in schools and workplaces, he argues, people will rely on technology to the extent that they’ll no longer need—or know how—to write.
Graham, a prominent investor and co-founder of startup accelerator Y Combinator, explained that writing requires clear thinking, a skill he says is being outsourced to AI. “The reason so many people have trouble writing is that it’s fundamentally difficult. To write well, you have to think clearly, and thinking clearly is hard,” he wrote in an essay on his website.
He expressed his unusual certainty on this issue, saying, “In a couple of decades, there won’t be many people who can write.” According to Graham, such a development could be problematic. While society adapted to the decline of certain skills like blacksmithing without major issues, Graham suggests that writing is different: “A world divided into writes and write-nots is more dangerous than it sounds. It will be a world of thinks and think-nots.”
Comparing the situation to physical fitness, Graham noted that while technology has made physical labor less common, those who want to stay strong now work out. He believes writing will follow a similar path, with only a motivated few choosing to maintain the skill.
A recent survey by the Digital Education Council highlights this trend, revealing that 86% of students use AI in their studies, with 24% generating first drafts and 28% paraphrasing documents using AI tools.
