PISA, an international organization that assesses student performance in reading, math, and science, recently released a report showing a continued drop in reading scores among students. This has raised alarms among educators and policymakers, who are concerned about the long-term effects on education. French Education Minister Édouard Geffray called the situation a "cognitive destruction" of a generation, while Spain’s Education Minister, Milagros Tolón, stressed the importance of reading as "the foundation of everything." Meanwhile, The Economist editorial board labeled the decline a "slow-moving catastrophe," linking it to "weak, radical" leftist influences in university curricula. In response, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a ban on generative AI tools in public schools for students from preschool through eighth grade. The city also plans to introduce AI-related critical thinking modules in high school and enforce stricter limits on screen time. The falling reading scores have sparked a broader debate about the role of artificial intelligence in education and the changing nature of literacy in modern society. Some critics argue that current policies aimed at regulating AI in schools are only addressing surface issues and not the root causes of declining reading skills. Scholars like Eric Havelock and Walter J. Ong have proposed that society is moving from a culture centered on written text to one that increasingly values oral and auditory communication. According to Ong, this shift has changed how knowledge is acquired, with oral cultures emphasizing learning through listening and interaction, rather than through reading and solitary study. Historically, the period known as the "Gutenberg Parenthesis" marked an era when written text held great authority due to its rarity and permanence. The invention of the printing press allowed for the mass production of books, reinforcing the importance of reading and written language. However, in today’s age of AI, text has become more fluid and less reliable. Chatbots and other AI tools generate vast amounts of text that often resemble oral speech, challenging traditional notions of literacy and knowledge. This transformation has implications for how skills are measured, with PISA tests—designed during the height of the literary age—possibly assessing outdated competencies. The discussion around AI in education and the decline in reading skills underscores the need to understand the broader technological and cultural shifts affecting learning. While policies like Mamdani’s AI restrictions may symbolize resistance to the commercialization of children’s attention, they may not fully address the deeper transformation of society from a literary to a post-literary culture. As education systems evolve, finding a balance between technological innovation and the preservation of core literacy skills remains a pressing challenge.