Let’s talk about AI, specificially in relation to writing and education. Recently, this topic has surfaced within the writing community because of a recent statement from the National Writing Month organization. We don’t need to get into the weeds about this statement, plenty other YouTubers have already done that, and I’ll link a couple videos below. What this video is really going to be diving into is the fear of AI replacing writers and educators, which for some is as scary as Skynet sending terminators after us… and maybe justifiably so.

Over the past couple of years, there has been a huge surge of AI tools. And any time a new technology is introduced, people fear the unknown of what might come from it. Now, I’m not saying we shouldn’t be wary, we definitely should. But being fearful to the point of fighting against it or avoiding it, might be putting ourselves into a more precarious situation.

As an English teacher, writer, and writing coach, I am asked on the regular if I’m scared of AI replacing me and my skills. The short answer is “no.” But the long answer has a lot of things for all of us to consider.

You have to understand that AI, whether it is through ChatGPT, Canva, ProWriting Aid or some other program, is a tool. A hammer can’t build a house for you, just like AI can’t do your job. But it CAN help.

When it comes to my teaching, I use AI to make rubrics, schedule out lessons, break down assignments, and use other time saving tools. It doesn’t mean AI is teaching my classes. I have to set the parameters, explain the outcomes, and edit what the AI produces. Further more, I have to actually teach my students the content.

My school focuses on differenciating lessons and assignments for each students while also meeting specific outcomes. Utilizing AI to help me tweak everything for each of my students has saved me hours of time. Before I would have to completely rewrite the assignment, but now, I just put it into an AI tool and ask it to change the grade level, topic, or whatever else that might need to be tweaked. It takes seconds versus minutes with the same results.

The point is I have to know, I have to have the expertise, to lead the AI to producing information to then give to my students to help them in their studies. With the hours I save from using AI, I can read more books to include in my classes, give students more one-on-one attention, and find other ways to strengthen myself as a teacher. AI isn’t replacing me; it’s ENHANCING me.

So on the flip side, what if my students use AI? This is where things become worse rather than better. The assignments I give to my students are designed to get them thinking critically and analytically. If they have an AI doing the thinking for them, then they lose that valuable opportunity to grow.

But this is nothing new. We had Sparknotes online when I was in high school, and before then it was Cliffnotes you could buy instead of the actual book. Students will always find a way to cheat, which is why it is important for us to not only teach them why learning independently is so important to them, but also how to use these tools effectively.

Yes, you heard that right. I believe students should be taught how to effectively use AI. It’s like teaching kids about safe sex. Since they might do it anyway, might as well teach them how to do it safely. It’s not to encourage the use of AI but to make sure they know what they’re getting into if they make that decision for themselves.

I do want to make clear at this point that I disagree with NaNoWriMo’s statement about AI. Criticizing or even condeming AI in regards to writing is not classist or ableist. That’s a silly thing to say NaNoWriMo. The concerns people have about writers using AI, especially for something like a writing challenge that uses word count as its form of tracking progress, are completely justified.

If you put an idea into ChatGPT, it could literally write out the 50,000 words for you. Additionally, National Novel Writing Month is designed for first drafts, getting the words down on the page, there should be no need for editing tools. The use of AI during a writing competition designed to get you WRITING doesn’t make any sense.

But I digress.

What do we lose when we rely too heavily on AI? In short, we lose our ability to think critically, creatively, and innovatively. You won’t be able to use your own voice, process your thoughts in an effective way, or feel that pride in completing something entirely on your own. Plus, there’s a whole list of ethical concerns, like plagiarism.

But we’ll have to talk about that another time because I’ve got to get to class and you’ve got some writing to do.