Should People Use AI When They Write?: Yes

Writing is a deeply personal act. It’s not passive. At the same time, writing does not exist in a vacuum. Even fiction draws from shared experiences, pop culture, and literary influences. Long story short – no act of writing is completely original. I say this as a professional writer. While tough to admit – even on my most inspired days – my work draws on a large body of influence, human intelligence, and experiences.

My worldview shapes my work but does not stand alone in the sea of humanity. Every piece I write is inextricably attached to something else. If all writing is part of a larger human understanding, why should we discredit writing that draws inspiration from artificial intelligence? Let’s face it – we’re living in the age of AI. With it, we have two choices: we can burrow our heads in the sand, pretend it’s not there; or we can learn to use AI as a new tool for human inspiration.

Our writing draws inspiration from movies, memories, and mass media. Why should that be any different than AI? While I don’t wholeheartedly support the act of having AI write for us, I do place value in its ability to inspire our writing. Additionally, I think it can be an extremely useful tool for students learning how to write. It can show students how to connect ideas, analyze story structure in real-time, and learn how to write for opposing viewpoints. And let’s not forget, there are many parts to the writing process. There’s brainstorming, research, analysis, pre-writing, outlining, and developing a thesis statement. All of this can happen before we even write our first sentence. That’s where AI comes in. As a professional writer, I’m expected to use AI on the daily. If professional organizations are using AI, even for their most accomplished writers, it’s imperative that students understand the tool. Writing with AI is not about asking a question and waiting for a paper to be spit out. It’s way more than that. I use AI to break down complex subject matter, build my understanding around complex topics, and generate ideas. This inspiration often leads to better writing.

Generative AI can function as an industry expert, a college professor, and an accomplished researcher. This is valuable to the human act of processing, analyzing, and synthesizing information during the writing process. Not to mention – it saves loads of time. Simply put, AI makes me a more informed, efficient writer – and that’s hardly a bad thing. •

Illustration by Olivia Lunger