01
Curated reading material
Before we meet, you'll receive a small set of research and writing selected to open up different sides of the question. Plan for about 35–45 minutes of reading.
The series
AI is changing from week to week, and we're already using it while still learning how it affects our thinking, our craft, and society.
The pressure to follow every new model, application, study, and claim leaves little time to ask what any of it means. Keeping up tells us what's new. Making sense of it together helps us form our own judgment: what is changing, what seems promising, what deserves caution, and what role we want AI to have in our work and lives.
The reading for each session combines recent evidence, current commentary from credible sources, and older work that shows where versions of the same question have appeared before.
First up · AI and cognition
When AI improves performance, what happens to learning?
AI can make work faster, easier, or more polished. But a better result doesn't always mean we understand more or have built the skill to do it ourselves.
That gap is already showing up in research. In one study, students performed better while using AI, then struggled when it was taken away. A differently designed AI tutor produced a different outcome. These questions now reach into writing, design, strategy, education, and everyday work.
- When does better performance reflect actual learning?
- What do we stop practicing when AI takes over part of the work?
- Where could AI make learning, feedback, and expertise more accessible?
How it works
Each session begins with one question. The reading gives us shared material to work from. Ariba brings additional research and historical context into the room. Then we examine the question together.
02
A live briefing from Ariba
Ariba will connect the reading to a wider body of research, earlier versions of the same debate, and questions that sit beyond the assigned material.
03
Facilitated discussion
We'll use full-group conversation, guided prompts, and breakouts to examine what stood out, what remains unresolved, and where the question meets our own experience.
Come curious. Bring your questions and half-finished thoughts. You don't need to have an answer.
This is a participatory room. Come ready to talk, listen, and work through the material with other people.
Coming up in the Reading Room
AI and cognition14 days away
01
When AI improves performance, what happens to learning?
What changes when a tool helps us do something better than we can yet do on our own?
AI and craftComing soon
02
What makes work ours when AI shapes its form?
How do authorship, skill, and creative judgment change when AI becomes part of the process?
AI and societyComing soon
03
What do open models for AI distribute?
Who gains access, who gains power, and who carries responsibility when a model is open?
Ariba Jahan
Your hostStrategist · builder · writer · facilitator
Ariba Jahan's work runs from bioengineering research and medical training through public interest innovation, product strategy, and customer experience to AI. She created Cognitive Endurance, a human-AI practice for using AI to extend intelligence while strengthening discernment, creativity, critical thinking, and independent judgment.
For more than 15 years, she has translated research and emerging technology into product direction, organizational practices, and learning experiences. She has delivered more than 215 talks, panels, and workshops at Google, TikTok, Etsy, Columbia University, and the United Nations General Assembly.
Selected speaking
United Nations General AssemblyGoogleTikTokParamountVox MediaColumbia UniversityEtsyHubSpot
Recognition
Obama Foundation LeaderCampaign US Inspiring Women Transforming TechnologyGlobal Top 100 Women of the Future in Emerging Tech
Featured in
Little Black BookMarketing BrewCampaign USAdvertising WeekWomen of the Future
The first Reading Room
Join us on October 14
When AI improves performance, what happens to learning?
12:00–1:30 PM ET · Virtual · $50