Writing and AI: ‘tech wizards’ and ‘intellectual slugs’

This story is a part of The Northern Light’s investigative series into AI in education, which follows different groups at UAA and their experience with AI.

AI in education has been a major topic of discussion in the past few years with the emergence of programs like ChatGPT. But how does AI affect writing in an educational setting?

UAA Professor of Writing Shane Castle has introduced discussions of AI into his syllabus in WRTG 111, WRTG 211 and WRTG 212.

Castle said that with his classes – Writing and the Humanities especially – his unit on AI helps students consider what is uniquely human about writing. It also helps students understand their choices  and how they think when writing various texts.

Castle first brought AI into the classroom in 2022. His first unit of the semester introduced the differences in AI generated stories and student essays.

Castle’s first lesson asked students to write a short essay on a given topic, ChatGPT was then introduced shortly after. He then encouraged students to compare and contrast an AI generated essay of the same topic, with the student’s essay.

“The real learning comes in reflection when they write an essay identifying distinctions between the [two] essays,” said Castle.

Castle leans somewhat against the use of AI in the classroom, but not so much for the risk of plagiarism, but instead the dulling of critical thought.

“I think outsourcing critical thinking is a net loss to humanity and to students on an individual level. You can't develop critical capacities without hard mental work,” said Castle. “I would rather ask hard questions and hope students will at least think about the consequences of certain actions rather than living on auto-pilot and passively accepting whatever billionaire tech wizards with obvious profit motives throw at us.”

Castle also noted that AI can be an impressive tool for understanding a new concept. With ChatGPT’s ability to simplify definitions or difficult concepts, he said that AI can be helpful to  struggling students.

When it comes to the worries and risks of plagiarism through AI, Castle said he can not worry himself too much about it. If he suspects plagiarism, he would report the incident the same as any other.

Plagiarism is a concern among any educational institution but  Castle’s true concern  lies in the intellectual autonomy of students.

“I worry about the long-term effects of humans outsourcing too many of our critical capacities. Struggle is essential to growth. Shortcutting that hard work could turn us into intellectual slugs whose only function is to give money to the ruling class and consume piles of garbage they shovel at us,” said Castle.