Following the launch of ChatGPT in 2022, the Russell Group of leading UK universities advised academics to integrate generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) into higher education, rather than prioritise the development of human capabilities independently of it. In this chapter, we draw on postdigital theory to offer a critique of this position informed by the concept of postdigital Bildung, defined as personal cultivation and development in the postdigital era. We argue that the majority of GenAI uses in higher education impoverish the cognitive, affective, relational, and embodied processes inherent to both learning and learner well-being. In response, we outline four strategies for the use of postdigital Bildung as backlash to GenAI in the higher education classroom: (i) embedding postdigital Bildung into assessment; (ii) encouraging students to share their feelings about working without GenAI; (iii) helping students frame discomfort as productive, and (iv) providing feedback on students’ essays grounded in academic judgement, not procedure. These strategies centre on equipping students with emotional skills to manage uncertainty, cultivating dialogue and relational learning, and establishing assessment methods and cultures in which growth of the self can take precedence over disembodied AI outputs.