Chicago – October 17, 2025
Reading levels dropped to historic lows during the pandemic. Now parents, teachers and tech companies are hoping AI can help solve America’s literacy crisis.
America’s literacy challenge has been building for years, with reading scores sliding even before the pandemic pushed them to their lowest levels in decades. Educators said potential factors include children’s increased screen time, shortened attention spans and a decline in reading longer-form writing.
Mississippi, Louisiana and other states have experimented with shaking up reading curriculums and passing laws aimed at improving childhood literacy. But the rise of artificial intelligence is creating another opportunity to reimagine how students learn to read.
Across the US, parents, educators, and community groups are trying AI-powered tutors that listen as children read, correct mistakes in real time and adapt lessons to each student’s reading level — though questions remain about the risks of using AI and whether it can actually improve literacy skills.
Denver Public Schools made headlines in recent years for embracing AI products, both as teaching tools and as teacher supports. The system of roughly 200 schools began working with Amira Learning, a company that specializes in AI reading tutors, in January.
Thousands of its elementary students are currently reading with the platform, according to Jennifer Begley, the district’s director of humanities.
When a child reads aloud, the AI tool will listen and “micro-intervene” when they struggle with a word, said Begley. For example, the program might prompt the student to move their fingers around the mouse pad while sounding the word out.
