What follows was produced by AI, specifically ChatGPT.
“Neil Postman, though he passed away in 2003—well before the rise of modern AI—left behind a body of work that provides a clear lens through which we might imagine his views on artificial intelligence. As a media theorist deeply skeptical of uncritical technological adoption, Postman would likely have offered a cautionary perspective. Here’s a synthesis of what he might have said, grounded in his core ideas:
- AI as a Faustian Bargain
Postman frequently argued that every technology is a Faustian bargain—it gives something but also takes something away. With AI, he might have said:
“AI may offer speed, convenience, and predictive power, but it extracts a price: the erosion of human judgment, autonomy, and perhaps the very definition of what it means to think.”
He would have asked not just what can AI do, but what happens to us when we let it do those things for us.
- Technopoly and the Delegation of Meaning
In Technopoly (1992), Postman warned of a culture in which technology is deified and entrusted with authority once held by human institutions. AI would, in his view, accelerate this shift:
“When we let algorithms determine our choices in health, justice, education, and love, we risk surrendering meaning-making to machines that cannot comprehend meaning.”
- The Problem of Context
Postman stressed that technologies decontextualize information. AI, especially large language models, abstracts vast amounts of data from their original contexts:
“AI can produce prose that sounds human, but it does not understand the human condition from which meaning arises.”
- Amusing Ourselves with Artificial Intelligence
Postman’s critique of television in Amusing Ourselves to Death could easily extend to AI-generated content:
“If television turned all discourse into entertainment, AI may turn all creation into pastiche—replication without depth, novelty without risk.”
He’d likely warn that as we consume more AI-generated content, we may lose the cultural stamina for original thought and emotional complexity.
- Education and the Erosion of Inquiry
Postman believed education should cultivate critical thinking and meaningful dialogue. AI, used uncritically in classrooms, might horrify him:
“When students outsource their thinking to machines, they are not learning. They are acquiring answers without questions.”
He’d probably be especially wary of using AI to write essays, fearing it undermines the struggle that real learning requires.