The First Impression
Artificial Intelligence: What Is Lost When Students Turn to AI
Personal Perspective: Students—and others—who rely on AI are selling themselves short.
Key points:
- Recent reports suggest that ChatGPT and similar AI tools are generating less accurate content.
- Creators can't explain why or when AI will hallucinate.
- An over-reliance on this new technology is undermining skills for students in higher education.
- There are benefits to writing beyond just the product that students produce.
Technology often gets adopted quickly, sometimes without enough skepticism. AI is a prime example. Many users jump in, focusing on immediate benefits and overlooking hidden downsides.
Faculty in higher education face many challenges, and the rise of AI-driven writing tools only adds to the pressure. Students increasingly outsource writing tasks to AI. Last year, Turnitin reported over 22 million student papers contained AI-generated content. This trend isn’t limited to students—AI traces have been found in published academic papers too. The actual numbers are probably higher than reported.
Beyond the ethical concerns about using AI to write papers, accuracy is a big issue. Contrary to expectations, newer AI versions are producing false information at alarmingly high rates. The New York Times recently shared that some AI tools hallucinate—creating facts or citing sources that don’t exist—up to 79 percent of the time. Developers can’t fully explain why these hallucinations are increasing.
Many students trust these tools to complete assignments without questioning the reliability or originality of the output. This not only raises academic integrity concerns but also highlights a bigger problem: an increasing focus on outcomes over the learning process.
Writing isn’t just about the final paper. It’s a process where students sharpen critical thinking, organize ideas, and learn how to communicate complex thoughts clearly. Outsourcing this process means missing out on essential skill-building.
This issue fits into a broader pattern where technology replaces human skills, changing how we interact with knowledge. Some administrators encourage faculty to “embrace” AI, seeing it as a way to reduce workload. But this overlooks how AI can undermine the core goals of education.
Writing assignments force students to engage deeply with material, reflect on ideas, and refine their thoughts. This process requires patience and effort—qualities that AI shortcuts bypass. When students rely on AI-generated work, they miss the chance to explore their own perspectives and develop their voice.
Psychology research also points to writing as a tool for self-expression and healing. This adds another layer of value to the writing process beyond academics.
From a grading standpoint, reviewing student writing—however imperfect—offers insight into their understanding and growth. It creates opportunities for meaningful feedback and connection. While AI might speed up grading, it can’t replace the nuance and care a human brings to evaluating work.
Students would likely feel uneasy if they knew their papers were graded solely by AI, just as educators feel uneasy uncovering AI-generated submissions. These are hidden costs of adopting technology too quickly without fully considering its impact.
On top of that, AI-generated content often doesn’t accurately reflect the assignment’s topic. This raises troubling questions about our increasing dependence on technology in education and beyond.
References
- Hoover, A. (2024). Students Are Likely Writing Millions of Papers with A.I. Wired.
- Metz, C., Weise, K. (2025). A.I. is more Powerful, but Its Hallucinations Are Getting Worse. The New York Times.
- Murray, B. (2002). Writing to Heal. Monitor on Psychology: APA.
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