The idea of using AI to assist with writing is hardly revolutionary. As far back as the 1960s, innovators explored the potential for algorithms and rule-based systems to generate coherent narratives. But these early attempts were primitive, limited in scope, and inaccessible to the general public. It wasn’t until the rise of machine learning and neural networks in the 2010s that AI started to show real promise, generating increasingly human-like text. Though AI has made significant strides in recent years, it is still far from matching the depth and nuance of human writers.
Despite its shortcomings, the use of AI in writing has quickly gained traction. It’s not uncommon to hear people casually mention using ChatGPT to craft the opening argument of an essay or rephrase a sentence that feels too cumbersome. What is more startling, however, is the growing trend of people relying on AI to write entire essays from start to finish, often without a second thought.
While AI-generated content can serve as a convenient shortcut, especially when a deadline looms, its limitations are glaring. The most glaring of these limitations? A lack of originality. AI systems do not create new ideas or concepts; they merely reassemble and restate information from their training data. This lack of true creativity prevents AI from producing fresh, groundbreaking insights the way human writers can. AI also struggles with cultural context, often missing the subtle references, cultural implications, and nuances that shape human writing. This can lead to misinterpretation, perpetuation of biases, or outright insensitivity.
This lack of true creativity prevents AI from producing fresh, groundbreaking insights the way human writers can.
Moreover, AI's dependence on existing data presents another challenge: its knowledge quickly becomes outdated. As new discoveries are made and research evolves, AI systems that were trained on older information are left behind, unable to account for the latest advancements. This can result in writing that, while informed, fails to reflect the most current understanding.
For students, this presents a particularly ethical dilemma. AI language models are trained on vast swathes of copyrighted material from across the internet, raising concerns about the originality of their output. Students running the risk of turning in AI-generated work may find themselves in violation of academic integrity policies, something no one wants to face. It’s a thin line to walk, and many students may unknowingly find themselves skating dangerously close to plagiarism without even realizing it.
Despite these challenges, there’s no denying the potential of AI to augment and optimize the writing process. However, it seems unlikely that AI will ever fully replace human writers. Instead, the future of writing appears to be a hybrid model, one where AI assists human writers, offering tools for drafting, organizing, and synthesizing information. In some fields of writing, AI could be used to generate initial drafts, with human expertise applied to refine and finalize the content. But that future is still a way off, and in the meantime, students should be cautious about relying too heavily on AI.
However, it seems unlikely that AI will ever fully replace human writers. Instead, the future of writing appears to be a hybrid model, one where AI assists human writers, offering tools for drafting, organizing, and synthesizing information.
At the end of the day, we must remember our primary role as university students: to learn, to grow, and to develop the skills that will serve us throughout our careers. The money we pay for our education is not just for access to textbooks or technology, it’s an investment in our ability to think critically, communicate effectively, and express ourselves through writing. AI can be a useful tool down the line, but it should never replace the work of honing our own skills now. After all, the best essays are those that reflect the individual creativity, insight, and judgment that only a human can provide.