In the Age of AI, does reading still matter?

A tribute to World Book Day

Today’s post, which celebrates World Book Day, is a translation of an article written by Mr Henian E, a prominent Chinese librarian, for a Chinese magazine. Mr E is the Library Director at the Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo, China, and has devoted himself to higher education for the past 40 years. His academic achievements have focused on delivering renowned distance education facilities and contributing to cutting-edge academic librarianship.  Starting in 2006 in the role of library director, he has played a leading part in the foundation of the libraries at three emerging universities in China – Shenzen, Sustech and Eitech. Gold Leaf is privileged to have worked with him on several projects, some of them ongoing. To answer the question, we must first address a more fundamental one: why are humans the dominant species on Earth?

It took two to three million years for humans to evolve from early hominids into modern homo sapiens. Throughout this process, from a time at which humans were merely equals among countless animal species on the planet to the present, our rise to dominance can be attributed primarily to two innate endowments in our genetic makeup: first, a superior intellect (or “brain power”), which endows humans with boundless creativity, manifested in the capacity for abstract thought and the use of utensils; and second, physical strength—specifically, the kinetic energy generated by the muscle power of humans themselves, as well as that of livestock domesticated by them.

In 2016, two professors from MIT,  Erik Brynjolfssonand Andrew McAfee,co-authored a book entitled The Second Machine Age. Drawing upon the “Human Social Development Index” articulated by Ian Morris in his book Why the West Rules—for now, the authors observed that for the 8,000 years preceding the invention of the steam engine, the trajectory of human development remained remarkably flat — indeed, quite “boring.” This stagnation occurred because human survival relied almost exclusively on the kinetic energy generated by the muscles of humans and their livestock, a source of energy that is, by its very nature, relatively limited. The invention of the steam engine represented a true revolution. In the era that followed, the index of human social development began to grow at an exponential rate.

The two authors speculated that if the steam engine marked the start of the “First Machine Age” for Humanity, the new technologies that are emerging in the 21st century – spearheaded by digital technologies and Artificial Intelligence [AI] – have initiated the “Second Machine Age.” Unlike its predecessor, the technological core of the Second Machine Age lies not in building on the kinetic energy available to humans, but rather in harnessing the intelligence of machines.

Many of those engaged in AI research and development share a singular ultimate objective: the realization of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) – or even “super-intelligence”, a state in which the cognitive capabilities of machines attain a level equal to, or even surpassing, that of human intelligence.

Thus, after two to three million years of evolutionary development, Humanity now confronts a dilemma unlike any it has ever faced before: human intelligence has long enjoyed supremacy as our most critical asset, the very foundation of our dominance over the Earth. But what happens when another species—if, for the sake of argument, we may classify machines as such — attains an intellectual capacity equal to, or even greater than, our own? Will humans still be able to maintain their dominance over the world?

Concerning the question of whether AGI is truly attainable, there are those who firmly believe it is, just as there are those who remain equally convinced that it is not. In 2025, seven distinguished contributors to AI technology were awarded the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering. Among them were the “Godfather of AI” Geoffrey Hinton, the “Godmother of AI” Fei-Fei Li, Turing Award laureate Yann LeCun, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, and Yoshua Bengio—a pioneer in the research and development of neural networks and deep learning. These individuals hold diverse views on questions such as whether Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is achievable, how it might be realized, and — crucially — how humans can preserve their supremacy within an AI-driven environment (which is, in essence, another way of asking how we can continue to remain the dominant species on Earth).

Yann LeCun and Fei-Fei Li argue that the current trajectory, based on Large Language Models (LLMs), is a dead end; instead, they contend that “World Models” represent the correct path forward. Conversely, Hinton and Bengio firmly believe that if AI development continues unchecked, Humanity faces the spectre of catastrophic destruction. Consequently, they have pledged to dedicate the remainder of their lives to the cause of preventing AI from unleashing such a disaster upon humankind. As the greatest financial beneficiary of the AI ​​industry, Jensen Huang has stated that regardless of how AI evolves, it can never supplant four uniquely human attributes: the capacity for “0-to-1” innovation (generating novel ideas from scratch); the ability to foster empathy and trust; the faculty for critical thinking and moral judgement; and the aptitude for visionary leadership and team cohesion.

I share Jensen Huang’s perspective on the relationship between AI and humanity. This leads me to pose the following question: as a human being, what steps can one take to strengthen these four specific attributes, thereby enabling one to thrive in the age of AI?

My answer is this: READ! Specifically, read classic works across a wide spectrum of disciplines. I offer this response not merely because I am a librarian, but — more importantly — because I am a member of the human race, and this conclusion represents the most profound insight I have gleaned from my own life experience thus far.

I am now the proud grandfather of two boys. During a recent holiday visit to Canada to see my family, I engaged in a conversation with my son and daughter-in-law about how best to nurture my two grandsons. I shared with them the following conviction: regardless of the era — past, present or future — any individual destined to achieve true excellence will invariably possess three fundamental capabilities: linguistic proficiency, mathematical and logical aptitude, and philosophical contemplative capacity. If my two grandsons can cultivate a strong command of these three capabilities, we need not be unduly anxious about their future prospects.

Indeed, any work universally acknowledged as a “classic” is to a greater or lesser extent the synthesized product of these three capabilities, or, more occasionally, the embodiment of one of them. A work earns the title of “classic” because it explores and reveals the fundamental essence of three core entities — humanity, society and nature – as well as the intricate relationships that exist among individuals, between the individual and society, and between humanity and the natural world. Classic books represent the crystallized wisdom accumulated by humankind: to read them is to engage in a dialogue with the sages, to embark on a journey of the mind, and, through a process of subtle, subconscious assimilation, to discern what truly constitutes a worthy human being. In doing so, one cultivates the fundamental qualities and character traits necessary to play a constructive role in the advancement of humanity. Therefore, in an era defined by AI technology (or whatever technologies may emerge in the future), if an individual wishes to live a truly fulfilling life, reading classic books is an absolute imperative.

Demis Hassabis, the founder of DeepMind, is credited with a famous maxim: “Solve intelligence and then use that to solve everything else.” Anyone who has read his biography would readily agree that he belongs to that rare breed of individuals who possess truly exceptional intellect. Moreover, he has an insatiable drive to explore the unknown and pursue infinite possibilities, an instinct characteristic of those with such extraordinary minds. It is perhaps inevitable that a person of Hassabis’s calibre, possessed of one of the world’s most brilliant minds, might utter such a statement: a statement that, in its essence, reflects the assurance of instrumental rationality. Yet he remains a singular exception amidst the vast multitude of humanity. For most of us — regardless of the era in which we live — reading remains one of the most reliable pathways toward reaching our ideals.

April 23rd marks World Book Day; these rambling reflections are offered as a humble tribute to the occasion.