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It’s no surprise that an AI can make your writing better.

But AI is more than a tool, it’s the new context within which certain types of writing are done.  Students already recognise and have moved their practices into the AI space, but schools have become mired in hand-wringing over assessment and cheating, which has left students isolated and vulnerable.

Essay writing is a strange mixture of critical and creative thinking, and it’s this combination that leads to authentic work.  AI by its nature is derivative and at best can produce a beautiful but boring essay.  However, for our young students it’s easy to mistake writing for thinking, and so they relinquish their rights & responsibilities to an AI under the misguided notion that it can do a better job.  This failed logic often leads to tragedy.

There are ethical ways to use AI at every stage of the writing process, starting with brainstorming & research, editing & bias detection, and then finishing with citation.  The key to these techniques is how AI can augment our own processes, rather than replace them.  Educators must join students on the journey and scaffold the skills we already excel at, critical and creative thinking, otherwise students are forced to make the journey in isolation

Yes, AI can make your writing better, but the real surprise is that it can help you become a better writer.