Why Learn Something That a Machine Can Do for You? @TheAtlantic
Why Learn Something That a Machine Can Do for You?  @TheAtlantic
Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Children still learn long division even though calculators exist, and many people continue to study languages even as AI translation becomes faster and more accurate. Is there a deeper purpose for learning that technology will never touch?

In this episode of How to Touch Grass, hosts Natalie Brennan and Julie Beck hear from Michelle Miller, a cognitive psychologist at Northern Arizona University who studies technology and learning. She explains that although the changing tides of tech may shape what and how we learn, as humans we still have the autonomy to build the minds we want. 

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Why Learn Something That a Machine Can Do for You?

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