Australians lost 338 spoken words a day — Guardian warns AI may erode our ability to listen
nordicinst · x · 2026-10-02
A Guardian op-ed by oral historian Shirleene Robinson argues AI's greatest cultural threat may not be to writing but to listening. A study shows Australians lost an average of 338 spoken words per day between 2005–2019 — roughly 120,000 words per person year over year. She argues chatbots' "empathetic listening" can't replace hearing diverse perspectives, which is integral to wellbeing and culture.
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