Why Human Writing is Essential in the Age of AI
Personal Perspective: The Case for Preserving College Writing Programs
Teaching writing is more than a job—it's a passion. The real reward comes from helping students learn how to think clearly for the first time. Writing isn't just about putting words on paper; it's about shaping thought itself. Watching students gain confidence as thinkers and writers is a powerful experience.
Why Do College Students Use AI?
Freshmen often arrive with misconceptions about writing: that it’s dull, that they’ll be exposed as bad writers, or that AI can just do the work for them. My role is to break these myths and help students find joy in writing. This builds their confidence and critical thinking.
Then AI entered the picture. Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT can produce clear, grammatically correct text quickly, given a good prompt. For busy students juggling heavy course loads and social lives, the temptation to use AI for essays is strong. Surveys suggest up to half of college students use AI in some form for their writing.
But it’s not just students. Some professors have used AI to draft feedback, and professionals sometimes submit AI-generated work where it’s not allowed. The current environment around AI in education is chaotic. Detection tools vary, rules are unclear, and sanctions inconsistent. It feels like the wild west.
There’s a real risk that if AI use becomes widespread for writing, universities might reduce or eliminate human-run writing programs to cut costs. Higher education is a business, after all.
When asked why human-run writing programs matter, AI itself offers three points:
- Writing is thinking. Without learning to structure ideas, students can’t effectively judge AI output.
- Voice and ethics matter. AI can mimic style but can’t teach responsible self-expression.
- AI makes literacy more urgent. To use AI well, students must understand writing to refine and fact-check its results.
Notice that only the second point focuses directly on students, while the others emphasize how writing skills help students engage with AI better—a goal that wasn’t part of traditional writing instruction.
Human Writing Versus AI-Generated Writing
What AI misses is the core gift of college writing: self-discovery. Writing is how we bring unconscious thoughts and feelings into focus. It’s a process that reveals what we truly believe and feel.
AI models are trained on vast amounts of human language, mastering simulation of human communication. But relying on AI to write for us cheats this process. It replaces unique personal insight with an average of many voices. For students spending years learning and growing, depending on AI is a shortcut that undermines their development.
Preserving human writing programs is crucial. Writing teaches students to become thoughtful, self-aware individuals—not just efficient users of AI tools. The writing process itself is where real thinking happens, and that can’t be outsourced.
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