Synopsis

In About, With, Through, Without, Against: Five Ways to Learn AI, Leon Furze pushes back against simplistic binaries about whether AI helps or harms learning. He argues that young people are adaptable and capable, and proposes five overlapping approaches to thinking about AI in education. Learning about AI covers AI literacy—how to use and understand the technology—but Furze warns against making every teacher responsible for teaching AI skills. Learning with AI includes tutor chatbots and using AI for feedback, though he remains skeptical about personalized learning claims. Learning through AI treats the technology as a conduit or medium, like semantic search engines. Learning without AI acknowledges that fundamental skills and disciplines remain vital regardless of technology. Learning against AI encompasses critical awareness, disruption, and understanding why students should actively resist problematic aspects like bias, surveillance, and environmental harm. Furze argues that learning against AI is where the most interesting classroom work happens—analyzing deepfakes in English, exploring algorithmic discrimination in math and science, or examining why AI companies are being sued by artists. He concludes that the key is balance and nuance, not outright rejection or uncritical embrace.

Originally published at: https://leonfurze.com/2025/08/12/about-with-through-without-against-five-ways-to-learn-ai/

Links