#that somewhere along the way you became incurious in the world

[anarchycox]

I think I saw a post of yours that talked about students using AI and chatgpt to do their schoolwork? I can’t find it now, but I want to try to convince my nephew that he needs to stop trying to use it for his English assignments. I think he’s mostly using it for edits than for making something more foundational but I don’t want him to use it at all. Writing and essay writing has always been a struggle in our family but I don’t want him to basically cheat either. Do you have any advice?

Absolutely happy to help!

There are lots of things I tell my students.

That I will never care about a few typos or mistakes in a paper so long as I can see personal effort. I don't care about perfection. Writing is about the journey as much as the destination.

AI just reads frankly boring. That when I read an AI paper versus a student who cared and tried the difference is palpable. I am more engaged when it is authentic writing vs generative writing.

AI is still making up sources, like if you tell it to generate references it will find real journals but make up articles or everything is written by Smith, Doe, Brown, Johnson etc which is a huge red flag and how I bust about 70% of the students.

Is the gamble worth it? Maybe you don't get caught but generally speaking an AI paper will get a C at most just because the language is too generic and broad. Cs get degrees right? But what if you are the person caught - now it is an F on an assignment, in the course, maybe suspension (I have a student facing suspension right now for AI usage).

It is easy - but what as an individual do you actually gain from it? Does it provide growth and satisfaction to have generated that work? Does a B on a fake assignment enrich you the same way a B on something you worked hard on does?

Why don't you want to gain the knowledge and skills that actually working on this assignment provides? Being able to research and assess and analyze are life long skills transferable to pretty much every job out there. A future employer wants to hire you for the perspectives you bring to the market, and if you haven't developed those skills - what good are you?

Trying is scary, it is so scary, I know that, because what if you fail? But the alternative is never trying and never fulfilling the possibility that is you. When you are bold enough to try, you are bold enough to become someone and that is so important. Be curious enough to try in this world.