’A reading group produces conversation, surprise, challenge, emotional commitment‘: Reading in the AI Era
“Someone who knows how to ask a question is someone with critical thinking”.
Originally published on Global Voices
Screeshot of an episode of the podcast La biblioteca imaginaria (The imaginary library). Fair use.
Technology and online life have changed reading habits and, sometimes, the immediacy screens provide has displaced printed books which are a slower and more selective space.
Although it's true that digital access has increased the possibilities of reading, it's also true that it has broken up attention, and has make the act of reading compete with multiple simultaneous stimuli, that sometimes are more attractive
Even so, fans of reading, whether on paper or on screens, still exist, and they look for spaces to share their love for reading and discuss what they read, aiming to expand their perspective and generate community.
One of those spaces is Leamos (Let's read), a group that brings together friends, and sometimes friends we haven't met yet, to talk about books and good literature, to motivate their careers or reflect about their lives. We spoke with Benjamín Edwards, a specialist in marketing and the creator of Leamos, about this and other initiatives.
Global Voices (GV): In a context where artificial intelligence (AI) offers immediate information and content. What spaces do you think deep reading occupies? Or reading, in general?
Benjamín Edwards (BE): La lectura es un espacio donde el tiempo cronológico es reemplazado por otro, un tiempo mental que se entrega al ritmo de lo que se lee. La imaginación busca poner contexto, olores, colores, intenciones a un relato con sus personajes. Cuando es un texto de estudio, la mente se configura para comprender y ampliar los límites de conocimiento. En ambos casos, el tiempo cronológico es el gran perdedor y el mental el gran ganador.
Benjamín Edwards (BE): Reading is a space where chronological time is replaced by another one, a mental time that surrenders the rhythm of what's read. Imagination aims to put context, scents, colors, intentions to a narration with its characters. When it's an academic text, the brains get set up to understand and broaden the limits of knowledge. In both situations, chronological time is the big loser, and mental time, the big winner.
GV: What does a reading group provide — conversations, shared interpretation — that no AI can replace?
BE: La conversación, el aporte, la sorpresa, el desafío, el compromiso emocional. En esencia, un grupo humano tiene cualidades como la contención emocional.
El grupo puede sentir entusiasmo, lo que incentiva la participación, o, también, aburrimiento, lo que obliga al moderador usar estrategias para reactivarlo. La IA puede simular o sintetizar, lo que es muy útil para el trabajo o satisfacer la curiosidad de corto plazo. Hay quienes usan su capacidad de simulación para hacerle preguntas personales sin exponerse a un comentario humano, algo que es parecido a hablar con un espejo. Un grupo humano como el club de lectura genera espacios donde se sincronizan pensamientos y conversaciones, donde existe solidaridad, donde proponen ideas que parecieran salir de un sombrero de mago.
La IA no es capaz de hacerlo, por lo menos por ahora.
BE: Conversation, contribution, surprise, challenge, emotional commitment. In short, a human group has qualities such as emotional restraint.
The group can feel enthusiasm, which encourages participation, but also boredom, which forces the moderator to use strategies to reactivate it. AI can simulate or sum up, and that's very useful for a job or to satisfy short term curiosity. There are people who use their own simulation abilities to ask personal questions without exposing themselves to human comment, something similar to talking to a mirror. A human group, such as this reading group, creates spaces where thoughts and conversations are synchronized, where there is solidarity, a space to propose ideas that seem to come out of a magician hat.
AI is unable to do that, at least, for now.
GV: From your perspective as a marketing and advertising specialist, is reading still a key tool for critical thinking in the algorithm era in a world increasingly mediated by AI?
BE: Sí, claro. Muchos indican que la clave en la IA a nivel de uso personal y cotidiano es el prompt, la instrucción en un texto expresado en lenguaje natural que describe la tarea que debe realizar una IA. Y puede ser cierto, alguien que sabe hacer preguntas es alguien que presenta pensamiento crítico. Pero esto no reemplaza la capacidad de trabajar una idea, desarrollarla, ponerla a prueba, y en ese proceso corregir, cambiar, replantear. La respuesta no es el único objetivo, el proceso de descubrimiento es igualmente importante. La IA, trabaja el desarrollo, nos aleja de nuestra idea, se convierte en “su idea”, entonces “esa” idea ya no es nuestra y nos la apropiamos, sin haber participado del proceso. La IA es una gran ayuda, pero no reemplaza nada de lo más profundo de nuestro potencial crítico y creativo, y si buscamos que lo reemplace, perdemos algo de nuestra humanidad.
BE: Yes, sure. Many people note that the key to AI on personal use level is the prompt, the instruction in text expressed with natural language that describes the task an AI must do. And it can be true, someone who knows how to ask a question is someone with critical thinking. But that doesn't replace the ability to work on an idea, elaborating it, testing it, and in this process, correcting it, changing it, and raising it again. The answer is not the only goal; the process of discovery is just as important. AI works on development, it estranges us from our idea, which becomes “its idea,” and then “that” idea is not ours anymore, and we take it, without having being part of the process. AI is a lot of help, but it doesn't replace anything from the deepest of our critical and creative potential. And if we look to replace that potential, we lose a part of our humanity.
GV: How did the idea of Leamos come up?
BE: Soy lector desde hace mucho tiempo, leo y escribo. Resumo algunos libros en unas libretas y reflexiono sobre esos resúmenes. Siempre supe que hay muchos libros por leer. Los lectores no somos visibles, básicamente porque leer es una actividad solitaria. Existen clubes, sí, pero siempre centrados en un libro y los análisis y comentarios corren a su alrededor. Existe, además, el estigma de que existen lectores y lecturas sesudas y otros que son livianos. Un día en septiembre de 2024, escribí una invitación en LinkedIn a todos aquellos que les gusta leer, sin sesgos de estilos ni nada y propuse hacer un club. Ese día se armó el Club Leamos.
BE: I'm a long-time reader; I read and write. I sum up some books in notepads and reflect about those summaries. I always knew that there are many books to be read. We, readers, are not visible, basically because reading is a lonesome activity. There are clubs, yes, but always focused in one book, and analysis and comments revolve around that book. There also exists the stigma that there are sensible readers and sensible readings, and other light ones. Somewhere in September 2024, I wrote an invitation on LinkedIn for people who love reading, without style bias, and I proposed creating a club. That day Club Leamos was created.
Benjamín Edwards. Photo provided by Benjamín Edwards. Used with permission.
GV: What activities the group has?
BE: El fundamento del club son sesiones semanales, no presenciales, en la que participan personas de cualquier país, normalmente en el rango de huso horario de Perú. En cada sesión, tres o cuatro participantes presentan un libro al resto de los asistentes y comentan, y tras hacer un resumen responden tres preguntas: de qué se trata, por qué te gustó el libro y por qué todos deberían leerlo. La clave, por lo tanto, es que la comunidad participa activamente en las presentaciones y los comentarios. También tenemos otras actividades que han ido surgiendo por iniciativa de los participantes: amigo secreto literario, reuniones presenciales en librerías y bares, visitas a lugares con historia literaria, etc.
BE: The base of the club are weekly online sessions, where people from any country can participate, usually in Peru time. In each session, three or four participants present a book to the rest of participants, and, after a brief summary, they answer three questions: what's the book about, why did you like it and why should everybody read it? Therefore, the key is that the community participates actively in presentations and comments. We also have other activities that have emerged from the community members: literary secret friend (an event we had for Christmas similar to a secret Santa, but with books), real-life meetings in bookshops and cafés, visits to places with literary history, etc.
GV: Tell us about the podcast La biblioteca imaginaria (The imaginary library).
BE: Es una evolución natural, el podcast tiene un formato de conversación en el que participan dos invitados que elijo de entre los miembros del club. Ellos presentan un libro y hablamos sobre eso y las relaciones que van emergiendo.
BE: It's a natural evolution, the podcast has the format of a conversation in which two guests, who I choose from the club, participate. They present a book and we talk about it and the relationships that emerge from that.
GV: What plans do you have for Leamos?
BE: Me encantaría que creciera en Latinoamérica. Los lectores son sorprendentes, no solo en sus recomendaciones y aportes, sino en sus proposiciones para crear ideas que potencian la relación en la comunidad entre ellos y los libros.
BE: I'd love for it to expand in Latin America. The readers are stunning, not only in what they suggest and recommend, but also in their proposals about creating ideas that enhance the relationship in the community, between them and the books.
GV: If someone wants to join the group, what do they have to do?