AI, again

Yesterday, my daughter read me over the phone her paper for her Philosophy class. It is on the Socratic method and the philosophies that challenge it. I pondered what would happen if she used AI to write her paper. From the start, she may have had not gone over the professor’s set maximum word count.

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As you can tell from my blog post last week, I am on an AI kick. My initial thought is…I’m not too fond of it. I write my posts by researching my topic, choosing quotes from primary sources, and then writing the body content. I’ve been doing this for years, and maybe I’m just set in my ways. A few more times of using AI, I may change my mind.

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So the topic of this post is the pluses and minuses of AI…

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Writing a college paper:

Using AI to help write a college paper can be incredibly useful, but it's important to approach it thoughtfully and ethically. Here are some guidelines on how to effectively and responsibly use AI for academic

·????? Topic Exploration: You can use AI to generate ideas for your topic, explore angles you hadn’t considered, or refine your main thesis. This is especially helpful if you're struggling to find a unique or compelling direction for your paper.

• Outlining: AI tools can help you create an outline, breaking down your topic into logical sections and organizing your ideas effectively.

• Summarizing Articles: AI can summarize academic papers, articles, and other texts, making it easier to digest large amounts of information. However, always verify the accuracy of these summaries.

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• Finding Sources: AI-driven tools can suggest relevant academic papers, research studies, or credible sources, helping you build a strong foundation for your paper.

• Generating Content: AI can assist in writing initial drafts or providing text on specific sections of your paper. However, you must critically evaluate and revise the content to ensure it aligns with your argument and meets academic standards.
• Clarifying Complex Concepts: If you're struggling to explain complex concepts, AI can provide simpler explanations, which you can build on to craft a more robust discussion.

• Citation Generation: AI can generate citations in different formats (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.), helping you ensure proper attribution of sources.
• Plagiarism Checks: Some AI tools can check your paper for potential plagiarism, ensuring that your work is original and properly cited.

By using AI as a tool rather than a substitute for your own efforts, you can improve your writing process while staying within academic guidelines. Just be sure to note when it is used and be mindful of the risk of plagiarism.

The downside of using AI to write a college paper…

While AI can be a helpful tool in the writing process, there are several potential downsides to relying on AI for writing a college paper. Here are some key negatives:

• Shallow Analysis: AI can produce text that sounds coherent, but it often lacks depth in critical thinking, analysis, or originality. Academic writing usually requires complex reasoning, synthesis of ideas, and unique perspectives, which AI struggles to deliver effectively.
• Missed Learning Opportunity: Writing papers is a valuable academic exercise that helps you develop critical thinking, research skills, and the ability to construct and defend an argument. Relying too much on AI can hinder your own intellectual growth.

• Violation of Academic Policies: Some institutions have strict policies against using AI for generating academic content. If you don't disclose the use of AI or rely on it excessively, you could face academic misconduct charges, ranging from failing the paper to more severe consequences.

• Weakening Writing and Research Skills: If you rely too much on AI for drafting and editing, your own writing and research skills may not improve. College is a time to develop these crucial skills for future academic and professional success, and depending on AI too heavily can undermine that progress.
• Hindering Critical Thinking: Writing a paper forces you to think deeply about a topic, synthesize information, and construct a coherent argument. AI can skip this process, depriving you of the chance to fully engage with and understand the subject matter.

In summary, while AI can assist in certain aspects of the writing process, over-reliance on it can lead to academic, ethical, and personal skill development issues. You should be aware of the risk of outdated information, plagiarism, and the inability to render your voice in the writing.

This will all be true for whatever you write from marketing copy to website content to blog posts.

AI was used in writing this post.

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