Synonymous Terms
- AI-assisted writing
- Human-AI collaborative writing
- Hybrid writing
- Human AI co-authored material
Related Concepts
- Composition Studies
- Drafting, Composing, Writing – The Foundations of Thought and Communication
- Semiotics: Sign, Signifier, Signified
- The Writing Process – Research on Composing
- Writing Studies
Related Courses
What is Composing with AI?
“Composing with AI” refers to the practice of writers using generative artificial intelligence (GAI) tools such as ChatGPT to facilitate their composing processes, including including prewriting, inventing, drafting, collaborating, researching, planning, organizing, designing, rereading, revising, editing, proofreading, sharing or publishing.
Writers in school and professional settings are using GAI tools to “remediate” their composing processes. For example, during prewriting they make ask GAI tools to generate annotated bibliographies, reviews of scholarly conversations on particular topics, or counterarguments to an argument they are developing. When engaged in textual research, they may use Elicit, Consensus, Perplexity, Inciteful, or LitMaps to visualize relationships between academic papers and concepts, and identify key texts and influences. Once they’ve written a draft, they may use GAI tools to critique and revise their organizational structure. Or they may ask a tool to create an information visualization such as an infographic to illustrate key points they are attempting to make. During revision, they may ask GAI tools to reflect on whether or not they’ve provided the necessary evidence their readers need to understand the information they are presenting. They may feed in prose models (e.g., published, peer-reviewed articles) that reflect the discourse conventions and voice, tone, and persona their readers expect them to adopt in a given rhetorical situation. Prior to submitting their works to their audience, they may ask GAI tools to review the documents for flow and standard written English. To further disseminate their texts, they may ask tools to translate their alphabetical texts into audio files or videos.
Is It Permissible to Compose School Assignments with AI?
No, you must check with your teacher or school to see if generative AI (GAI) is allowed. Using GAI without permission may be considered academic dishonesty if it violates school policies.
Teachers may prohibit GAI in assignments because they believe writing is a powerful tool for learning, thinking, and discovery. They worry that students might rely on AI tools for critical thinking, bypassing the chance to engage their inner voice, intuition, and “felt sense”—qualities essential for human agency and personal growth. Additionally, teachers are concerned that AI-generated content can contain inaccuracies or biases that students might accept as factual, potentially reinforcing harmful stereotypes.
Alternatively, some teachers may permit limited AI use, such as using tools like Elicit or Consensus for researching topics or ChatGPT for editing. In some cases, students may be allowed to use AI throughout stages of the writing process,including prewriting, inventing, drafting, collaborating, researching, planning, organizing, designing, rereading, revising, editing, proofreading, sharing or publishing.
Is Use of AI Becoming More Commonplace in School Contexts?
Yes, use of AI for school and workplace writing is becoming increasingly more common. A recent survey conducted by the Digital Education Council found that 86% of the students surveyed reported using AI for academic purposes, and 54% used AI daily or weekly.
The integration of AI into writing has become increasingly ubiquitous. Surveys indicate that a substantial majority of students and professionals are adopting AI tools to enhance their writing and productivity. A 2024 survey by the Digital Education Council reported that 86% of students use AI for academic purposes.
Is Use of AI Also Becoming More Common in Work Contexts?
Yes, the 2024 Work Trend Index, authored by Microsoft in collaboration with LinkedIn, reveals that 75% of global knowledge workers currently use AI at work, with nearly half adopting it within the past six months. The report highlights that 78% of these AI users are bringing their own AI tools to work—a practice termed “Bring Your Own AI” (BYOAI). Microsoft reported this unsanctioned use raises concerns about data privacy and security, as employees may utilize AI tools without formal approval or oversight, potentially exposing sensitive company information.
While the report does not explicitly label BYOAI as unethical, it underscores the need for organizations to establish clear AI usage policies to mitigate risks associated with unauthorized AI tool adoption. Knowledge workers should always check on company policies before using AI.
What Are Educator’s Concerns about Composing with AI?
In response to these new ways of composing, educators worry students may offload critical thinking and the development of their ability to write to machines. Rather than dialoging with the tools and engaging in multiple iterations to develop a text that reflects their voice and intention and the needs and expectations of the audiences they are addressing, educators worry students will simply download the machine-authored texts and present it as their own work, which, legally — from a U.S. copyright perspective is their right. Understandably, however, educators worry that reliance on AI tools will allow students to bypass the essential cognitive processes involved in researching, drafting, and revising a text. This could lead to a degradation of authentic learning and the erosion of personal accountability in academic or professional work.
How Does Resistance to AI Reflect Past Resistance to Other Emerging Writing Technologies?
Writing is not just a means of communication; it is a technology—a tool that humans have developed to extend our cognitive and communication abilities. By converting thoughts into written symbols, writing allows us to record, preserve, and disseminate knowledge across time and space. This technological innovation enables complex ideas to be shared and built upon, fostering the development of civilizations and cultures. From ancient cuneiform tablets to modern digital texts, writing technologies have continuously evolved, reshaping how we think, learn, and interact with the world. The study of semiotics—which explores how humans use and interpret signs and symbols—underscores the profound impact of writing systems on human cognition and society.
This cognitive tool has transformed human capabilities far beyond simple message transmission. When we write, we create an external scaffold for thought, allowing us to hold and manipulate complex ideas that would be impossible to maintain through oral tradition alone. As E.M. Forster famously asked, “How can I tell what I think till I see what I say?”—capturing how the act of writing itself is intrinsically linked to the process of thinking, discovery, and self-expression.In writing studies, writing refers to more than the process of putting words on a page (drafting or transcribing) or organizing them into a coherent message (composing).Yet each advancement in writing technology has historically been met with both excitement and apprehension. In his dialogue Phaedrus, Plato feared that reliance on written texts would weaken memory and internal understanding, leading to the mere appearance of wisdom rather than true knowledge (Plato, trans. 1997).
Centuries later, the printing press, invented by Johannes Gutenberg in the 15th century, revolutionized the dissemination of information. David Bolter (2001) notes that this technology not only made books more accessible but also threatened established authorities like the Catholic Church. The printing press introduced counter-narratives, facilitated the spread of ideas, hermeneutics, textual methods, and empirical research, contributing to the overall emergence of the conversation of humankind. Bolter emphasizes how each new writing technology tends to “remediate” the previous ones, transforming cultural practices and power dynamics.
This pattern of initial resistance to new writing technologies has been well-documented. According to composition lore—popularized through widely circulated but satirical “quotations” created by Zirkel (1978)—educators supposedly worried: “Students can no longer prepare bark to calculate problems. They depend instead on expensive slates. What will they do when slate is dropped and breaks?” and later, “Students depend on paper too much. They no longer know how to write on a slate without getting dust all over themselves. What will happen when they run out of paper?” While these specific quotes were revealed to be clever satire, they capture a very real pattern of technological skepticism that continues to resonate.
In contemporary times, the use of hyperlinks, as seen here at Writing Commons, reflects a writing style that layers knowledge hypertextually, allowing readers to click and learn more about concepts they may not immediately understand. This digital innovation exemplifies how writing technologies continue to evolve, enhancing the ways we access and interact with information.
Today, we stand at another such frontier with the emergence of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) tools. Unlike previous technologies that merely extended human capabilities, AI introduces entities capable of generating sophisticated language and potentially exhibiting forms of intelligence that rival or surpass our own. Recent developments have accelerated dramatically, with models like GPT-4 now performing in the top percentiles on standardized tests, achieving scores in the 99th percentile on the LSAT, and demonstrating performance comparable to MENSA-level intelligence while producing coherent, contextually appropriate, and nuanced prose (OpenAI, 2023). This shift represents a monumental transformation in how we approach writing, research, and knowledge creation.
Can Teachers Determine Whether or Not Students Have Used AI for Writing Assignments?
Yes teac
How Does the MLA-CCCC Joint Task Force on Writing and AI Define Critical Literacy?
- Adaptability: Develop flexible skills that can evolve alongside rapidly changing AI technologies. The pace of innovation requires a nimble, lifelong learning mindset.
- Skepticism: Question the reliability and accuracy of AI-generated content. For example, spotting logical flaws or factual errors that slip through.
- Inquiry: Understand how AI tools work. Identifying their limitations. Considering how AI tools may reinforce cultural stereotypes and fail to represent the language practices of n
- Power Awareness: Understanding how the tech industry’s interests and biases can shape AI development. Recognizing when AI reinforces existing inequities.
- Ethical Thinking: Weighing the moral implications of AI in academia. Could it unfairly advantage some students over others? Questioning how it challenges traditiohnal notions of academic integrity, authorship, and copyright
- Transparency: Demanding openness about an AI’s training data, algorithms, and failure modes.
- Cultural Context: Analyzing how AI reflects – and can distort – society’s values and history. Treating it as a neutral tool overlooks important social dynamics.
- Bias Detection: Identifying prejudices baked into AI outputs, whether about gender, race, or other factors. Proactively mitigating these biases.
Research
Resources
To navigate this new landscape, writers and educators need practical tools and guidelines. This area provides:
- Evaluations of AI writing tools: Assessing the functionalities, benefits, and limitations of various GAI platforms.
- Best practices for ethical use: Offering guidelines to ensure responsible integration of AI into writing workflows.
- Support materials for education: Developing curricula and resources to aid in teaching about AI in writing.
Related Concepts
- Information Ethics – Will AI Alter the Future of Academic Integrity?
- Plagiarism – Reimagining Authorship & Citation Practices in The Age of AI
- Drafting, Composing, Writing – The Foundations of Thought & Communication
- The Writing Process – Research on Composing
Related Resources
Anderson, J. & Rainie, L. (202). The Future of Human Agency. Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech. https://eloncdn.blob.core.windows.net/eu3/sites/964/2023/02/Future–Human-Agency-ElonU-Pew-2-24-2023.pdf Aschenbrenner, L. (2024, June). Situational Awareness – The Decade Ahead. Situational Awareness AI. https://situational-awareness.ai/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/situationalawareness.pdf Bolter, J. D. (2001). Writing space: Computers, hypertext, and the remediation of print (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Christensen, C. M. (1997). The innovator’s dilemma : when new technologies cause great firms to fail. Harvard Business School Press. Digital Education Council. (2024). What students want: Key results from DEC Global AI Student Survey 2024. https://www.digitaleducationcouncil.com/post/what-students-want-key-results-from-dec-global-ai-student-survey-2024 Forster, E. M. (1985). Aspects of the novel. Penguin Books. (Original work published 1927). Hinton, G. (2023, October 10). Why Geoffrey Hinton is worried about the future of AI. University of Toronto, Schwartz Reisman Institute. https://srinstitute.utoronto.ca/news/why-geoffrey-hinton-is-worried-about-the-future-of-ai Lott, M. (n.d.). Tracking AI. Tracking AI. Retrieved October 14, 2024, from https://www.trackingai.org Microsoft and LinkedIn. (2024). Microsoft and LinkedIn release the 2024 Work Trend Index on the state of AI at work. https://news.microsoft.com/2024/05/08/microsoft-and-linkedin-release-the-2024-work-trend-index-on-the-state-of-ai-at-work/ MLA-CCCC Joint Task Force on Writing and AI. (2024). Teaching writing in the age of AI. NEH. (n.d.). Funding Opportunity Number: 20240410-FEL. NEH. https://www.neh.gov/sites/default/files/inline-files/Fellowships%20NOFO%202024.pdf OpenAI. (2023). GPT-4 technical report (No. TR-2023-001). OpenAI. https://cdn.openai.com/papers/gpt-4.pdf Plato. (1997). Phaedrus (A. Nehamas & P. Woodruff, Trans.). Hackett Publishing Company. (Original work published ca. 370 B.C.E.). Rainie, Lee, J., Anderson. (2024). Experts Imagine the Impact of Artificial Intelligence by 2040. Imagining the Digital Future Center. https://imaginingthedigitalfuture.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/AI2040-FINAL-White-Paper-2-2.29.24.pdf Zirkel, G. (1978). Probable quotes from history. The MATYC Journal [Mathematics Association of Two-Year Colleges], (Winter), Viewpoints.References