MIT Reads refocuses on fiction and memoir for the AI era, selects Ted Chiang's Exhalation for Fall 2026
As it marks its 10th anniversary, MIT Reads will shift its focus toward fiction and memoir to foster social connection amid AI-driven changes; the program was cited in MIT’s Ad Hoc Committee on AI Use in Teaching, Learning, and Research Training report as a way to strengthen community norms. President Sally Kornbluth selected Ted Chiang’s short-story collection Exhalation as the Fall 2026 book, and the program’s public author events and classroom tie-ins (including Compass 21.A01) will accompany the selection.