15 Chapter Fifteen: Using (or not!) Generative Artificial Intelligence

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI): What is it?

Generative AI is, in the context of writing, a tool that helps people brainstorm, write, and revise. It involves using a program (like ChatGPT, Bard, and Copilot) and typing prompts into a chat box. The AI then provides an answer to the prompt. This is similar to searching on the internet, but the quality of the prompts you put into Generative AI are directly correlated with the quality of the results, called “output.” You can respond to the output, prompting the AI to create more nuanced or even totally new results.

The Uses of Generative AI for Writing

Clearly, Generative AI can be used in a variety of ways.

• It can help you brainstorm ideas.

You can prompt Generative AI to come up with ideas for topics, or within a single topic, ideas for main points. A prompt for that might look like: Give me ten ideas about what points I could include on tips for buying a used car.

• It can create outlines.

If you have a set of ideas but you aren’t sure how you want them to be organized, you could put your set of ideas into the chat box and prompt the Generative AI: Put these ideas into an outline that presents the ideas logically in five paragraphs.

• It can create writing, especially writing that is “form” writing.

At times, we want to create a piece of writing that is fairly basic. For example, in some professions, there are form letters that need to get sent. You might experience these types of emails: a message that gives an overview, is fairly basic and generic, with a broad audience. An example of this might be a message from the advising department about how to register for classes. Generative AI can be used to create these messages. Please know that unless you are specifically directed by your instructor to do this, you must not have Generative AI create a piece of writing for you that you then use as your own. That is cheating, and even more importantly, it’s not learning. More on that soon.

• It can simplify complex ideas.

Sometimes we need an explanation for a concept that is confusing. Your best first bet is to do an internet search—Generative AI is difficult on the environment and shouldn’t be the default (more on that later). However, if you need more specific examples, Generative AI can be helpful. One prompt for that is to ask: Describe the difference between inductive and deductive reasoning and provide an example that an average 9th grader would understand.

• It can proofread.

You might be familiar with tools like Grammarly, which gives corrections on errors and suggestions for wording. Even word processing programs like Word will give these kinds of suggestions. The thing to be careful about with using Generative AI to do this type of work, though, is that just because the Generative AI suggests it, that doesn’t mean it’s a necessary or even a good idea to take that change. What’s great about using Generative AI for this type of proofreading work is that it gives you the opportunity to learn. Ask yourself, Why is it giving me this feedback? Does this make sense to me? What other questions can I ask to understand this better?

Generative AI is not useful when…

• You want to communicate as a human.

We expect writing to have a human “voice,” and Generative AI does not have that. Don’t use Generative AI because you want to sound “smarter”. Generative AI creates writing that might sound good, but it doesn’t sound like you, and how will you ever discover how you sound in writing if you don’t do it yourself?

• You don’t already have a strong ability to write, and you have it draft for you.

The writing done by Generative AI is often too elevated, or generic, or, as mentioned earlier, inhuman sounding to work well for the audience. If you use Generative AI to do the writing for you, don’t be surprised if your teacher calls that out and asks you to rewrite.

• You are uncomfortable not knowing.

Here’s the thing: as humans, our attention spans are short and are getting shorter, thanks to innovations like social media. What this means is that we often lose patience with ourselves; we don’t want to spend the time it absolutely takes for learning to happen. Learning takes longer than our current attention spans are comfortable with! Understand that and know that when you don’t allow that learning time and instead farm it out to a tool like Generative AI, you only hurt yourself.

The truth is that moving forward, because of Generative AI, instead of writing skills becoming less important, they will become MORE important—the writing that Generative AI does right now (which can be viewed as pretty good!) will become “average” writing—that’d be C-level writing. Your job is to learn how to be better than the Generative AI, and you do that through practice doing your own writing and maintaining your voice.

• You’re using it to do simple things that can be done via internet search.

Research is showing that Generative AI has negative impacts on the environment. According to the UN Environment Programme in an article entitled “AI has an Environmental Problem. Here’s What the World Can Do About That:”

The proliferating data centres [sic] that house AI servers produce electronic waste. They are large consumers of water, which is becoming scarce in many places. They rely on critical minerals and rare elements, which are often mined unsustainably. And they use massive amounts of electricity, spurring the emission of planet-warming greenhouse gases. (AI has)

What you need to consider is how your use of Generative AI adds to the impact it’s having on the environment. Do some more research (not using Generative AI!) to learn more, and be thoughtful about when you want to use it.

Generative AI versus Learning

When you’re taking a class (and paying for it!), the intention is for you to learn. That learning will often involve using Generative AI, but you must always follow your instructor’s directions and the class policies when using it. Also, if your instructor out-and-out bans it from use, they aren’t being mean to you; they simply want you to do the work of engaging your brain in the process of the learning in the course. Lean into that!

Remember, also, to be gentle with yourself as you’re going through the learning process. When it’s hard, when you’re unsure, when you try and fail, know this: this is the process. This is right and good, even if it doesn’t feel the best. We promise, if you stick with it, you will continue to grow, and that’s what this is all about.

The bottom line is this with Generative AI: Use it within the bounds of learning that your instructor has laid out, but focus on your learning. Use it intelligently, not as a crutch. You can do this!

Works Cited

“AI has an Environmental Problem. Here’s What the World Can Do About That.” UN
Environment Programme, 21 Sept. 2024, https://www.unep.org/news-and-
stories/story/ai-has-environmental-problem-heres-what-world-can-do-about.

“How much water does ChatGPT ‘drink’ for every 20 questions it answers.” Government Technology, 14 Apr. 2023, https://www.govtech.com/question-of-the-day/how-much-water-does-chatgpt-drink-for-every-20-questions-it-answers.