Use of Generative AI

Lake Superior

Phoenix

Hawaii

California

Atlanta

You teach a class about the use of generative AI in academic writing, so it must be okay to use, right?

No, actually. It all depends.

Of course students in my "Writing in the Age of ChatGPT" class can use generative AI: one of the main points of the class is learning best practices for doing so.

Students in "Stock Market Challenge" and my various geography classes can use it to assist with weekly research. It is incumbent on the student to fact-check any information and recommendations produced by generative AI, of course.

But, outside of "Writing in the Age of ChatGPT," generative AI may never be used for any writing project associated with my classes. That includes the research paper for "Academic Writing," all short-answer responses and end-of-semester essays for "Bite-Size Literature," "'The Play's the Thing,'" and "Who We Are & What We Dream," and the honors projects for "Philosophically Speaking," "Statecraft 2030," "Your Future World," "Stock Market Challenge," and "Poetry Playoffs."

Why not?

The point of my writing assignments, in fact the point of any analytical writing assignment, is not the creation of words on a page. The point of the assignment is wrestling with complex ideas and/or texts to develop your critical thinking, analysis, argumentation, research, and written communication skills. Using ChatGPT or other generative AI for a writing assignment short-circuits your own skill development. You are cheating yourself and trying to fool me. When the thinking is not yours, the writing you submit is merely an echo of someone else’s thinking, for which you do not deserve credit.

What will happen if you think generative AI has been used on a writing assignment?

First, you can expect I will call it out, probably publicly because it's a teachable moment for everyone in the class. Please note: I do not have to prove you used generative AI -- I just need a reasonable suspicion, based on my considerable experience with generative AI output, that you've inserted a generative AI response into work you are presenting as your own.

Second, if you are taking the class for a grade or for honors credit, I will not provide either one. A grade or honors credit is earned on the back of your own work; if I feel I cannot reliably distinguish your work from generative AI, I cannot provide a grade or honors credit.

Third, I will not provide a recommendation for any student I even suspect has used generative AI for a writing assignment because I believe violating this policy is a serious breach of trust and a sign of dubious personal ethics and poor work habits.