Should I use 'AI' to write an essay?
Jul 11, 2024
The question arises whether it would be worthwhile to use AI to not only concoct an essay, but also to research it.
Stop right there! This is literally the worst possible step to take, and it can ruin anyone's academic future.
Thinking back to my own university days, whenever I successfully completed an essay or exam question, I was always very proud of my achievement. Anything less would create feelings of not only disapointment but also fear. It is important to grasp that university or school is a very stressful place, and for this reason it is actually 'harder' to cheat than to actually perform the task as required. Cheaters cannot acheive top marks, because they simply have not made the topic their own speciality.
I would like to itemise some dot points as to why you should never, ever, ever, use AI to write an essay. These pointers are why you should also do all the research yourself.
Teachers are now actually using AI to check if students are using AI in their essay writing. You will not get away with it!
Nothing can replace the feeling of satisfaction garnered from successfully having written a brilliant essay, either as an assessment task or exam. On the contrary, having submitting an AI-written essay will lead to horrible feelings of fear of being found out. Teachers actively spend hours weekly examining students’ work for signs of cheating.
Being found out is not the worst part. The worst part is the disciplinary action following close behind, which can include failing the subject.
AI cannot actually write an essay anyway. There will be 'strange mistakes' which pop up, which the student may not notice, and your teacher will straight away not only suspect, but know that AI has been utilised, resulting in a fail. An analogy is with coding. AI can generate computer code but it will have to be corrected by a competent coder.
The major problem with using AI to write an essay is that one is relying on someone else. It is only self reliance in life which delivers lasting benefits, results and satisfaction. Relying on others can lead to disappointment. As an example of this, I recently 'relied' on AI to help me upgrade my telecope. I ended up buying all these attachements I actually did not require, as AI was not aware of other determining factors or ideas. It turns out that AI was wrong.
There are different levels of AI. Only a few people know the commands to type to make sure the essay is truly flawless, to avoid any possibility of detection. Doing that is harder than researching and writing the essay, as one needs to know how the essay should be researched and structured in addition to the correct commands to coax an AI response! AI also has little problem telling lies or untruths as if they were true. Current AI programming seems to favour giving any answer over a correct answer, and in a jovial, confident tone. It takes a lot of focussing of the question to generate the correct answer.
There is literally no point being at school or university, if one is going to resort to using AI to cheat, as it cheats the student out of the satisfaction of the learning experience.
Time is required to research. It requires human effort. That's why it is called humanities. Anything 'not human' in your essay will raise question marks in your teacher's mind.
Research and writing can be immense fun, as you go through many drafts. As you do this, you will see your essay coming together like a Tetris puzzle. Why deny yourself this enjoyment?
We are just scratching the tip of the iceberg here. I am sure there are a hundred reasons why it is better to not cheat.
As we can see, it is really just not worth it to cheat. It is better to fly straight and true in any profession, which includes your student career. This should be treated as if it were an important corporate career, with similar rules and etiquette.
Charles Kos PhD.
Essay Tutor.
