From the Generative to the Discrete: Learning in the Age of the GPT Society

This contribution examines the cultural and pedagogical impact of generative artificial intelligence through an interdisciplinary dialogue between literary studies, media education, and digital pedagogy. Starting from the reflections of Italo Calvino in Cibernetica e fantasmi (1967) and Lezioni americane (1988), the paper investigates the relationship between language, imagination, and computation in contemporary educational environments increasingly shaped by algorithmic mediation. Calvino’s intuition concerning the passage from continuous thought to discrete systems offers a valuable interpretative framework for understanding the present transition from analogical forms of knowledge to predictive and automated textual production. The study focuses on the emergence of what may be defined as a “GPT Society,” in which large language models reshape writing practices, authorship, and access to knowledge. Particular attention is devoted to the educational field, where artificial intelligence affects teaching methods, literacy practices, and the role of both teachers and learners. The article analyses the tension between pedagogical innovation and cognitive risk, considering personalization, automated tutoring, and adaptive learning environments alongside issues such as intellectual dependency, standardization of thought, and the weakening of critical interpretation. From a methodological perspective, the contribution adopts a qualitative and theoretical approach grounded in comparative textual analysis and critical discourse analysis. Literary texts, educational reports, and studies on AI in education are examined together in order to trace convergences between humanistic reflection and technological transformation. The objective is to show how generative AI functions simultaneously as a technical support and as a cultural agent capable of reshaping symbolic production and educational imagination. Expected results highlight the necessity of a critical pedagogy of artificial intelligence, capable of preserving interpretative autonomy and linguistic precision within increasingly automated environments. The originality of the paper lies in connecting Calvino’s literary thought with current debates on generative AI, proposing a humanistic perspective on digital education that values memory, complexity, and responsible authorship as central elements of contemporary learning processes.