Why Bother Learning to Write When we have AI?

by Kimberly Ussery

Don't rely on AI to do your writing. Learn how to write and critically think for yourself.

The tech companies promise that AI will make writing an obsolete, unnecessary skill. But do we want that? It’s one thing for someone who knows how to write to use AI to refine their sentences or grammar. But what happens to this generation of kids when they use AI to write and teachers use AI to grade? Is there value in knowing how to write?

Yes, writing is the key to critical thinking and organizing your thoughts. 

Using AI and other external tools to reduce the load on an individual’s memory is called “cognitive offloading.” Those of us old enough to remember using maps, recognize how lazy our minds have become with the Google Maps app telling us where to go. Places we would have memorized after a few trips have become places we need to type into our phone each time. Think of how many phone numbers you used to have memorized.

Now apply that “lazy brain” to writing. Multiple studies have shown that writing promotes critical thinking. If students trust AI to do their writing, will they have the ability to analyze the results? Will students even know what claims they should question if they haven’t had the cognitive experience of writing first? AI can convincingly write “hallucinations” which sound like truth. 

It doesn’t take a science fiction author to see that the inability to question and distinguish between truth and fiction quickly makes us vulnerable to corrupt corporations and leaders. 

Don’t throw away writing in the pursuit of ease. Time spent thinking is time well spent. Remember, schools threw out analog clocks once digital clocks came out. Now, math educators realize that those “old fashioned” clocks actually helped students learn fractions and other math concepts. 

Cursive writing was similarly dismissed once key boarding on computers took its place. Now, educational experts know that writing cursive actually makes children better spellers. 

Writing is important. Book a writing tutoring session with Tutor Scooter today.