Odd O'blography

Artificial Thoughts

There are a lot of unknowns when it comes to Artificial Intelligence and writing. And most of the questions have to do with ethics. Is it ethical to use AI to write an article, story or poem? And is the AI program itself ethical, or merely plagiarizing existing content?

I write for my own gratification. For me, using AI would feel like starting from the solution and copying the answers into the crossword puzzle. The result might look good, but why bother? Of course, those who write for a living may feel differently about the prospect of increased income. And human nature being what it is, I have no doubt that AI will be used in the arts much like steroids are used in sports. Even amateur athletes 'juice up' and then pretend to have earned their trophies. Professionals going after lucrative prizes and book deals will behave even worse.

And if the end product is merely a commodity, like click-bait on the newsfeed, then why not use AI? There's no Pulitzer Prize for best click-bait headline. The whole point of writing greeting cards, instruction manuals, or ad copy is to turn a buck. If using AI increases one's productivity, then a writer would be foolish not to use it. And if a writer isn't needed, then a business would be foolish to pay for one. This may sound harsh, but a successful product has to maximize revenue while minimizing cost.

If, however, an author is seeking a prize for excellence, then AI is definitely unethical. Just like using a grammar-check program or taking the advice of an editor instead of relying solely on one's own talent. Originality is a slippery slope and it's difficult to draw the line between content creation and content polishing. I do believe that ethical authors must credit the help of an AI program just as they should credit their editor.

One of the biggest issues is the use of AI by students. It might be helpful to consider the point of writing an essay. Is it to reinforce the subject matter, or to learn how to write? Writing classes should definitely not accept AI generated content, but it could still be useful for learning. Students have been copying from the encyclopedia for generations. The act of reading and rephrasing is a form of learning, and originality isn't really the point. Today, students simply copy and paste from Wikipedia. However, the learning aspect is much reduced when writing is replaced by clicks.

My suggestion is to require all writing assignments to be submitted in longhand. And to make the student fully responsible for the content. If a questionable AI 'artifact' is submitted, then the student should be dinged for it. A student would have to fact-check their AI to be ensured full credit. Writing in long-hand may seem onerous, but it would help to maintain the long tradition of learning through reading and rephrasing. Real learning always involves hard work. And learning should be the focus of the assignment.