OECD raises alarm over declining reading skills in AI era - EXCLUSIVE

Education systems showing a decline in reading are also showing a decline in mathematics and science, while the magnitude of decline tends to be greater in reading.

This was said by the source at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in an exclusive interview with CE Report.

What is concerning is that it is not just that performance declined, but since PISA 2018, the OECD sees that student success rates have declined fastest on reading tasks that are particularly important in the AI age: tasks that involve higher-level processes such as evaluating and reflecting, and also remembering and integrating pieces of information. In turn, the instances where students rush through texts and give quick but incorrect answers doubled.

The OECD cannot say for sure, but declining levels of reading for enjoyment and the shift to digital reading - skimming social media feeds and rapidly processing information - may have hollowed out the very abilities that young people need to be successful in the digital world. PISA also shows that what students do online for leisure has changed. The biggest increase in recent years has been in things like Instagram and TikTok. And the biggest decline is students creating their own digital content. That is a troubling shift: from creating to consuming, from producing to scrolling.

Not least, across OECD countries, just 46% of students say they fact-check information, question intuitive claims, and do not treat “common sense” as a substitute for evidence, although this figure is slightly higher in Spain, which is good news. The group that should worry us is the 43% who say that, when evidence and common sense collide, common sense should win. This matters a lot in a world in which AI can produce answers that are fluent, confident, and persuasive. Answers that sound exactly like common sense, but are not necessarily true. And that is why the ability to question and verify are such an important part of literacy these days.

As PISA is not designed to evaluate specific policies or interventions, its results do not directly prescribe what education systems should do. However, the findings consistently show that high-performing and improving education systems tend to share several key characteristics, including those outlined below, while making continuous use of evidence to enhance outcomes and promote equity for all students.

· Maintain high expectations for all students

· Strong teaching and investment in teacher quality

· Engage parents and families

· Address socio-economic disparities

· Target resources where needs are greatest

· Effective use of technology

· Focus on foundational competencies

· Commit to continuous improvement

The OECD is already working with governments to ensure AI is used safely and responsibly in the classroom, including through the OECD-EU AI Literacy Framework and OECD Insights on the effective use of generative AI in education. The latter was included in the OECD Digital Education Outlook 2026. The OECD will continue to collaborate with governments and other stakeholders to foster a coordinated approach to AI, grounded in international, multidisciplinary and multi-stakeholder cooperation, so that the development and use of AI benefit both people and the planet.

Photo: OECD

This interview was prepared by Julian Müller