A recent piece in Times Higher Education raised a concern that deserves attention.

As AI becomes more common in universities, we risk something important. Not a loss of control or academic integrity—but a loss of purpose.

Learning isn’t supposed to be easy. At Euro University of Bahrain, we’ve said from the start that students don’t always want difficulty. But they often need it. Because real learning happens in the struggle. In the pause. In the moment something doesn’t come easily, and you have to work it through.

That’s how judgement is formed. That’s how confidence grows.

AI can help. But if we use it to smooth over every challenge, we’re not helping students learn. We’re helping them avoid the very process that builds their understanding.

Learning isn’t simply finding the answer. It’s practising how to work through the question to discover the answer for yourself.