Orality, Literacy, and Superintelligence: The Technologizing of the Word

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From spoken language to writing, from print to digital media, and now from aka human-AI literacy to post-human literacy, the technologies that shape how we use words have continually transformed how and what we think, our sense of being and consciousness, and access to power and money. Building on Walter Ong’s concept of the technologizing of the word, this article examines how AI represents not merely another tool for writing but a profound shift in our ways of knowing, communicating, and exerting power. In this article, I propose that we are witnessing the emergence of two new stages of literacy. The first, human–AI literacy, marks the present moment, in which humans learn to compose in dialogue with large language models, blurring the boundaries of authorship, cognition, and agency. The second, post-human literacy, anticipates a near future where superintelligent systems evolve beyond human comprehension, reshaping the role of writing and reconfiguring what it means to be literate. By situating today’s AI revolution within this long arc of orality and literacy, we can better understand both the promise and the peril of these new stages, and consider their implications for learning, pedagogy, and human development.

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