AI is better understood as a new literacy: another layer of skill that builds on, rather than replaces, the foundations of human development. And a learner who never practices core skills will not master AI, no matter how advanced the software. At the societal level, the risk is even greater: If we lean too heavily on AI without grounding it in human learning, we may lose our bearings altogether. If we get that right, AI won’t hollow out our abilities. The question is whether we will teach it as a replacement or as the next chapter in the long story of human learning.