By Cole Strzelecki
Recent developments in AI technology have made its use in writing a hot discussion topic worldwide. As a student majoring in creative writing, using AI in writing-based fields is not an amazing innovation but a significant concern. As people begin to rely more on the work of technology than the work of humans, I worry about what this means for my future career – and writing for everyone.
I’ve seen multiple arguments for both sides. Some think AI will replace writers, and others say it will merely be a tool to help writers. For example, an article posted on the USA Today website explains that AI will be a threat in how fast it creates content, but it also reassures readers that the technology will never overtake human writers due to its frequent content errors.
At the same time, an opinion piece from the Orange County Register says AI writing might benefit the creative writing industry. They propose that this technology will remove people from projects that re-make or reuse previously existing properties. Those projects, in turn, will be left in the hands of AI, letting human writers focus on creating new ideas. However, pursuing this route may end with unsuccessfully written ideas and a loss of many creative writing jobs.
Other creative writing majors I’ve spoken to feel the same. Sophomore creative writing major Gianna Mulvey avidly opposes AI’s use for writing. “Writers are in danger, and just artists in general,” Mulvey said. “When I was in high school thinking about what I wanted to study, I never considered AI as a huge thing I’d have to contend with. Now, all of a sudden, [I feel like] I’m going to be out of a job even before I graduate.”
As AI usage becomes more prominent, Mulvey worries about the state of her life as a writer. She fears that a degree in creative writing may become worthless if people begin to prefer and rely on AI creations. It may also lead to the possibility that writers become less necessary if AI becomes more advanced.
I think AI writing undermines a writer’s work, as it creates pieces quicker and easier than anyone could. AI allows people just to type in a prompt and instantly receive a baseline for what they want to write. All AI users need to do from there is tweak the work to ensure everything is grammatically and informationally correct and follows the guidelines of their prompt.
This idea is why some students have slowly started relying on it for writing essays and other assignments. It’s more convenient for them than trying to write it all themselves. But at that point, they aren’t learning or creating anything themselves. They are just taking something written based on pre-existing work and changing it up a bit for their benefit.
Professor Dan Bevacqua of the Department of English worries about the toll AI may take. “It affects whether or not people are going to learn how to use, understand, and grow language,” Bevacqua explained. “People are already afraid of language…it is a very complex technology that human beings should learn…to say then ‘You don’t need to learn how to operate and create with the most important advancement in the history of humanity. It can be done for you.’ will have effects that no one can even comprehend.”
Bevacqua believes that increased use of AI could harm society’s communication ability. Therefore, he disagrees with its use from a teaching standpoint. However, as a writer, Bevacqua doesn’t think further AI usage will be too big of an issue.
“I don’t think human beings will say, ‘I want to read the new AI novel,’” Bevacqua said. To him, a novel is more than just its content. “Speaking for myself, the way I consider the story or the novel to be is a human entity, something with a soul.”
Mulvey had spoken similarly about the human, soulful aspect of writing. Specifically, she said, “The stuff that AI and computers are creating is soulless and meaningless. I don’t feel anything looking at it.” Just like Bevacqua, she believes what makes a story is the human aspect to it, the meaning and emotion the writer puts into every word they use. I completely agree with these opinions.
AI writing will most likely continue to advance as time passes. What people decide to do with these advancements is still up in the air. I personally don’t think AI should be used in writing. I think the writing process should remain a human procedure, as the pieces people create are only possible with the use of the human mind.
