This chapter introduces the main argument of this book: namely, that while generative AI presents a unique threat to the acquisition and development of critical readingcritical reading and writingwriting skills, it also represents a general public malaise to those skills. The humanities as a professional institution have not been able to break through the public discourse noise to make a case for the necessity of those skills. This book aims to raise questions, offer suggestions, and ultimately argue for action rather than passivity.