Illustration credit: Mitchelle Morah
The introduction of commercial typewriters in 1874 revolutionized the writing world. Today, that world is being reshaped once again by AI writing tools like ChatGPT, Jasper, Grammarly and QuillBot.
But are these tools designed to ease writers’ works, or will they edge writers out of their own creative space? Like all innovations, I believe AI writing tools can coexist with human creativity, which will continue to stand out thanks to the complexity of the human mind.
Technology has long aided writers, but significant advances in AI writing tools only emerged in the 2010s. Early pioneers such as Grammarly, Hemingway and QuillBot provided grammar correction and style suggestions, setting the stage for AI-driven content creation.
The 2020 launch of OpenAI’s Generative Pre-Trained Transformer 3 marked a major leap forward. This powerful language model propelled human-like text generation based on prompts into the mainstream, inspiring tools like Jasper and Copy.ai, accelerating the rise of generative AI.
As these tools became more advanced and accessible, their influence grew. Today, phrases like “Just ask ChatGPT” have entered students’ everyday lexicon.
As a communication studies major, I initially feared the impact of AI writing tools. I worried that the common use of these tools would only enable me to become dependent on them to the point that I would be unskilled to complete simple writing tasks or insecure of my own writing capabilities, always comparing myself to the abilities of AI.
I also worried that these tools might even diminish the demand for communication professionals like me. Could these tools truly “do what I do?”
Over time, my curiosity has led me to see AI writing tools in a different light. They aren’t a replacement for human creativity but a complement to it.
The reality is clear: AI writing tools are here to stay. The challenge lies in how we harness their potential responsibly, ensuring they enhance rather than overshadow the human element.
In an interview, UHD Assistant Professor of Technical Communication and Assistant Director of Graduate Programs in the Department of English, Ashleigh Petts, shared her insights on the impact of AI writing tools on technical communication, ethics, and the future of the profession.
“When you speak to a lot of technical writers, they will tell you that the time they actually spend sitting down writing on a computer or however they write, is maybe 10% of the time they spend working,” said Petts “They spend so much other time doing research, talking to people, doing it all. Technical communicators often wear many hats,”
“So, they are not always sitting on a computer writing documents eight hours a day. A lot of the work they do simply currently cannot be replaced by generative AI.”
Petts acknowledged that AI could enhance creativity, describing it as a potential “writing partner” that aids in generating ideas and editing.
“The interesting part lies in the collaboration between humans and AI,” she noted, emphasizing that creativity could help define ethical boundaries. “Maybe we do not want machines performing deeply human tasks. Creativity is one of the things that makes us human. There is no one right or wrong answer, a lot of this is just where you are at philosophically, your values and your background.”
Discussing the limitations of AI, Petts highlighted the need for expert oversight. “In the quality control aspect, we still need people to be experts in writing who can evaluate the AI and maybe output or co-write with the AI,” she said.
“Until AI reaches the level of General AI, like in science fiction, maybe there’ll be an adjustment, but maybe companies will also learn that if they do let people go or start using AI, then the quality goes down.”
When examining the UHD community’s views on AI writing tools, students see them as tools to assist them and not to automate their life.
“People tend to forget that AI is built on human creations. It’s not a sentient being, but people are just excited and eager to dive into it,” commented one computer science student.
AI writing tools present both challenges and opportunities. On one side of the sword, their rapid evolution raises critical concerns and limitations. These tools rely on data for training, raising questions over copyright and plagiarism in AI-generated content.
They also require human oversight to catch factual or contextual errors. They risk discouraging originality, a key to human creativity.
On the other side of the sword, AI writing tools hold promising potential. They can democratize writing, enhancing accessibility for diverse users. They can also boost productivity by accelerating content creation.
When properly balanced, collaboration between humans and AI could elevate creativity to new heights, surpassing the limits of traditional technology.
As we continue to explore emerging technologies like AI writing tools, it is essential to approach them with curiosity while remembering they are products of human creativity. Rather than serving as replacements, these tools have the potential to become partners that enrich the creativity of the written world.