Writing with AI isn’t cheating, you tell yourself; simply using a tool. Maybe you’ve turned in an assignment written entirely by AI before. Or maybe you’ve only used artificial intelligence for brainstorming or cleaning up your transitions. Everyone else was doing it, after all, and you didn’t want to be at a disadvantage compared to your classmates.
But that’s the catch. The more you rely on AI, the farther behind you’ll fall, even if your grades look great for now. Keep in mind, artificial intelligence is a shortcut. That means it will save you a few steps in the moment, then end up costing you down the road.
Turning in Papers Vs. Learning to Write
The best way to learn how to write is by writing, a lot. The opposite is also true. The less you write, the more your unused writing muscles will atrophy.
Even if you use AI minimally, delegating any task to a machine means you’re avoiding a process you find challenging. You might think you’ll learn this step by studying the AI-generated results, but that’s not how the learning process works.
Your brain can only grow stronger by doing hard workouts. While struggling through a challenging task, you may feel like you’re not getting anywhere. With sustained effort and the right resources, though, you’re likely to master skills you once found impossible while also gaining speed in areas where you were already competent. With time, dedicated writers become better writers. Conversely, those who regularly write with AI will continue feeling overwhelmed by the blank page.
So are you convinced you’ll never need the skill of writing for yourself? Can you depend on AI’s help forever?
The Importance of Embracing Complexity
It’s true: certain industries and job tasks are increasingly going the way of automation. Not everything needs to be written from scratch. Most real estate listings, for example, now bear the same overly dramatic, awkwardly phrased fingerprints of a robot writer. It makes sense; people buy properties based on price and features, not poetic descriptions.
But not all writing tasks are equal. In college, much more will be demanded of you than a one-paragraph summary of a house. You may be able to sneak an AI-assisted essay past a few professors here and there. As you take on advanced coursework, however, writing with AI likely won’t suffice. Professors are looking for deep analysis, well-supported opinions, and original thought—not regurgitated facts. AI often identifies the most commonly occurring (and therefore, least complex) ideas on the internet, then rephrases them. Sound familiar? That’s the process of plagiarism, an academic crime. Furthermore, it means a machine-made paper will often be generic at best, inaccurate nonsense at worst.
Even if you use AI to clean up your own ideas, machines can’t iron out complex ideas in a smooth way that makes sense, much less conveys brilliance. Either the content you’re bringing to a paper is so simplistic that a brainless machine can churn it out for you, or AI won’t be able to keep up with the density of new ideas you bring to the table.
Why Writing with AI Limits Original Thinking
As innovative as AI is, it cannot help you innovate. The longer you cling to AI for comfort, the harder it will be for you to suddenly write a thesis on your own or express the nuance necessary to stand apart from thousands of similar resumes. Submitting the same generic cover letter or college application essay AI gave everyone else may lead to an equally standardized rejection slip.
By robbing yourself of the chance to learn how to mine exorbitant information and focus it into one distilled, well-reasoned idea, you run the risk of ending up with a degree, but not the abilities required to keep up within your industry. What if your field doesn’t require much writing? You still won’t get far unless you’ve cultivated skills in critical thinking, logic, organization, and research—skills developed through writing.
So what are you chasing? If you’re fine with hitting your career ceiling early, then AI might be all you need. But if you’re restless to do research, complete advanced degrees, help save lives, found new companies, rework societal systems, or even develop new models of AI, you’re going to need a sharper internal processor than the easy way out can produce.
What artificial intelligence can never do: teach you how to think.
-Sarah
Hoping for a better way to approach the writing process? Connect with one of our Essay Editors to learn how to improve your own writing.
