In a recent episode of the This Week with EdSurge podcast, education advocates defended traditional, slower learning processes against the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence. Rita Finkel, co-president of the Armory Foundation and director of the Armory College Prep program, challenged narratives declaring the college degree obsolete. Finkel argued that the value of a four-year degree lies in holistic development and experiences that AI cannot replicate, rather than just the acquisition of technical skills.

Similarly, Cobretti Williams of the EdSurge Voices of Change Fellowship emphasized the importance of the manual writing process. Discussing the growth of writers within the fellowship, Williams noted that the improvement seen between a fellow's first and fourth essays represents a developmental journey and a beauty in imperfection that only comes when students do the work themselves, rather than outsourcing it to automated tools.

This discussion highlights an emerging analytical focus within ed-tech: the trade-off between AI-driven efficiency and cognitive growth. By focusing on the developmental journey of earning a degree or writing multiple drafts, these educators signal that the value of education lies in the iterative struggle of learning—a process that is lost when AI is used to bypass the work entirely.