We are accelerating idiocracy: Zerodha’s Nithin Kamath admits even his writing is getting worse without AI as kids struggle to learn maths and science in the age of smart intelligence

Zerodha co-founder Nithin Kamath has weighed in on the ongoing AI boom across the world, expressing his concerns about the decline in reading and maths skills among children could mean in an age increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.

Reflecting on his own reliance on tools such as ChatGPT and Claude, Kamath said AI could make people less inclined to develop skills themselves when an easier alternative is available. He questioned how children should balance learning foundational skills through mistakes and practice with becoming capable users of AI in a world where the technology is likely to play a major role.

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"All of this makes me wonder what the right approach is with kids. On the one hand, you don't want them outsourcing thinking, writing, problem-solving, etc., before they've learnt how to do these things themselves by making mistakes. On the other hand, if they're growing up in a world where AI will be a big part of their lives, you want them to be good at using it," said Nithin Kamath.

"I don't know how many here have watched Idiocracy, but sometimes it feels like we are accelerating towards it.,PS: Idiocracy is about an average man who wakes up 500 years in the future to discover that human intelligence has declined so much that he is now the smartest person alive," added Kamath.

Nithin Kamath shares experience of using AI

Kamath also reflected on his own writing, saying that his increasing reliance on AI tools to correct grammar and typos has reduced the incentive to get things right himself, and that he genuinely feels his writing has worsened without AI.

"I can see a lot of this in myself. Pretty much every post I write now goes through ChatGPT, Claude, etc. Because I know AI will fix my grammar and typos, there's less incentive to get them right in the first place. And over time, I genuinely feel like my writing without AI is getting worse. I keep asking K (CTO) about coding and whether something similar is happening with our tech team. His answer isn't very reassuring either," said Kamath in his post on X.

Check fulll text of Nithin Kamath's post

The OECD conducts an assessment called PISA that measures the reading, science, and maths skills of 15-year-olds. The latest results are quite dismal. Across much of the world, kids are getting worse at reading and maths, and the decline isn't small.

COVID probably explains some of this, but there seems to be a longer-term trend at play. And now there's AI.

I can see a lot of this in myself. Pretty much every post I write now goes through ChatGPT, Claude, etc. Because I know AI will fix my grammar and typos, there's less incentive to get them right in the first place. And over time, I genuinely feel like my writing without AI is getting worse.

I keep asking K (CTO) about coding and whether something similar is happening with our tech team. His answer isn't very reassuring either.

All of this makes me wonder what the right approach is with kids. On the one hand, you don't want them outsourcing thinking, writing, problem-solving, etc., before they've learnt how to do these things themselves by making mistakes. On the other hand, if they're growing up in a world where AI will be a big part of their lives, you want them to be good at using it.

The problem with humans is that, given a choice between an easy thing and a hard thing, we'll almost always choose the easy path. The same applies to AI. Even if it can help us think and do more, I think most of us will end up outsourcing a lot of our thinking and doing to it.

I don't know how many here have watched Idiocracy, but sometimes it feels like we are accelerating towards it.

PS: Idiocracy is about an average man who wakes up 500 years in the future to discover that human intelligence has declined so much that he is now the smartest person alive.

Check post here:

What did the study discover?

The world’s 15-year-olds are recording their weakest performance in reading, mathematics and science since global testing began 25 years ago, according to the OECD’s PISA 2025 results released on Tuesday.

The latest assessment covered more than 760,000 students representing around 33 million 15-year-olds across 91 countries and economies. Average scores across OECD countries fell to their lowest levels recorded so far in all three core subjects.

Reading saw the sharpest decline. Average scores across OECD countries dropped 28 points between 2015 and 2025, including a 25-point fall between 2018 and 2025 alone. Since 20 points is roughly equivalent to one year of schooling for a 15-year-old, the report suggests that students are now reading at levels previously associated with children about a year younger.

Mathematics scores fell 22 points over the decade, with the decline becoming particularly sharp after 2018. Science performance proved comparatively resilient, falling seven points between 2015 and 2025 and remaining broadly stable between 2022 and 2025.

Non-OECD countries and economies showed a similar trend, with average reading scores falling 16 points and mathematics scores declining eight points between 2015 and 2025.

Across OECD countries, one in five 15-year-olds now performs below the basic proficiency level in all three subjects, up from 16% in 2022.

The report said these students lack foundational skills needed for further education, employment and everyday life. They may struggle to interpret simple data, identify evidence in a graph, understand straightforward texts or work out basic relationships between units and prices.

The decline is not limited to students in conflict zones or countries with weak education infrastructure. The report noted that these low-performing students are also found in high- and middle-income OECD countries, despite having completed around nine or 10 years of formal schooling.