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AI can find, summarise and explain information in seconds. But students still need to read, question, connect ideas and understand for themselves.
The survey notes that the decline in reading performance was already visible before the COVID-19 pandemic. (AI Image)
The PISA 2025 results released on September 8 showed that average reading scores across OECD countries fell by 28 points between 2015 and 2025, the steepest decline among the three core subjects assessed. The decline was particularly pronounced on tasks involving longer texts. Students also struggled more with higher-level reading processes such as evaluating and reflecting on information and connecting multiple pieces of information, sometimes across different sources.
The finding also revealed that the share of students classified as “hasty” readers — those who give fast but incorrect responses — increased from 6.6% in 2018 to 11.4% in 2025 across 35 OECD countries. At the same time, the proportion of accurate and fluent readers fell by about seven percentage points.
The report said the pattern is consistent with a decline in students’ ability or willingness to sustain focused engagement with demanding reading tasks. Performance also declined more sharply in the later parts of the reading assessment, which appears consistent with lower attention, persistence or confidence when students encounter more difficult tasks.
This comes as AI becomes increasingly embedded in students’ learning. PISA 2025 found that 46% of students use AI chatbots weekly or more to help them learn. Students also reported using AI for tasks such as preliminary research, summarising assigned texts and drafting written work.
However, the data do not show that AI is responsible for the decline in reading performance. The survey describes the relationship between AI use and achievement as complex. It found that students using AI for specific schoolwork tasks such as summarising texts, drafting assignments or conducting research scored lower in science on average than students who did not use AI for those tasks. At the same time, students using AI regularly for general learning purposes had similar science performance to non-users, and those who received guidance at school on evaluating AI-generated information tended to perform somewhat better.
Technology is now an integral part of learning, but it should not replace the habits that help students learn effectively, says Prashantha K, Principal, VIBGYOR High School Kadugodi.
“Reading a longer text, following an argument and staying with a difficult idea require patience and concentration, and these are skills students still need to develop. In the classroom, the focus should be on helping students use digital and AI tools with a clear purpose while continuing to give them enough opportunities to read, discuss, write and work through ideas on their own. The goal is not to keep technology away from learning, but to make sure it supports deeper engagement rather than becoming a shortcut to it,” Prashantha K stated.
The issue is not limited to academic performance. Sustained attention is also a habit that develops through repeated practice, particularly when students are asked to remain with something that does not provide an immediate answer.
“From a student wellbeing perspective, attention is also a habit that develops over time. When children are constantly moving between short, immediate forms of content, staying with something that requires more time and concentration can feel harder. We therefore need to help students build comfort by slowing down, whether that is through reading, conversations, creative activities or simply spending time on one task without constantly switching. AI can certainly be useful, but students also need to experience the satisfaction of figuring something out themselves. That sense of effort and achievement is important for confidence as well as learning,” said Amruthavarshini R, PL Counsellor, VIBGYOR High School, Kadugodi.
The survey notes that the decline in reading performance was already visible before the COVID-19 pandemic and points to broader changes in reading habits, including declining reading for enjoyment and the shift towards digital reading.
That makes the question more complicated than whether AI is making students “lazy” readers. The bigger challenge may be preserving the ability to slow down in an environment designed for speed.
AI can find information, summarise a chapter and explain a difficult concept within seconds. But students still need to learn how to read the original text, follow an argument, question information, connect ideas and arrive at an understanding themselves.
As AI makes information easier to access, the ability to stay with difficult information may become one of the skills schools need to protect most deliberately.
Quick Answers
Ask News18The PISA 2025 results showed that average reading scores across OECD countries fell by 28 points between 2015 and 2025, marking the steepest decline among the three core subjects assessed. This drop is equivalent to roughly one and a half years of learning.
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Sukanya Nandy is a sub-editor at News18.com. She has been reporting for the education and careers section of the website since 2021. She completed her graduation in English followed Journalism and Mas…Read More
September 28, 2026, 08:25 IST
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