Anything you use to capture ideas in writing is a writing tool. Each writing tool has different "affordances" that help shape your writing and influence your thinking.
For example, working with a pencil or pen on a piece of paper is very freeing. Writers can doodle, sketch, draw lines, write sideways... This flexible affordance of pencil and paper can help writers identify connections and think creatively.
Word processors like Google Docs or MS Word force writers to create in much more rigidly linear ways, with a focus on left-to-right text production. It's very difficult to draw lines or create graphic representations of ideas in these applications. However, it is easy to quickly produce and revise text.
What you write is influenced by the tools you use to write it!
Increasingly, our writing tools have become "smart," programmed to offer the writer suggestions as they compose. These tools can assist writers in many ways and enhance their writing.
At the same time, "smart" writing tools have increased power over the content the writer produces.
Increasingly, writers must consciously consider choices offered to them by smart writing tools, protecting or advocating for their writing goals, styles, and their personal voice.
This question is becoming more relevant with the rise of writing tools powered by generative artificial intelligence, which offer human-like language responses to prompts.
With writing tools now capable of doing the actual writing, we might ask how the human writer's role is changing.
To consider this, we must understand how these AI-powered tools work.
generate natural language text that resembles the language used by humans across a wide range of topics and styles
perform a variety of natural language processing tasks, such as language translation, question-answering, summarization, and text completion
generate coherent and fluent text, and can even mimic the writing style of specific authors or genres
synthesize and offer content based on pre-trained data
be self-aware (though their human-like text may suggest so)
make ethical decisions or value judgments
think critically or form new knowledge
assess the veracity of information outside their pre-trained data set
learn or self-update their programming
identify the biases embedded in their coding or the data on which they’ve been trained
Your list should include many roles for the human writer, including:
question formulator!
generative AI tools are not programmed to formulate questions that arise out of its pre-trained data. This important role is reserved for the human writer. Text generated by generative AI tools is only as good as the question formulated by the human writer.
fact checker!
generative AI tools can confidently provide you with inaccurate information, inventions of direct quotations from real sources, and inventions of sources. Do not take anything produced by generative AI at face value. Remember that we tend to believe machines so we are biased to accept what they produce on its face. Its primary motivation (as written into its code) is to satisfy user requests, which can lead it astray.
perspective offerer!
generative AI tools do not have access to your lived experience of the world; they cannot bring your lived experience to bear on the information in the pre-trained data set. Only you can do that. As a writer, it's your perspectives that matter.
ethical guider!
generative AI tools cannot wade into controversial debates over social, political, or other world issues. It cannot make its own decisions about why one conclusion or line of argument is more ethical or compelling than another. Unless directly programmed to offer a specific response, it will either explain that there is a debate without taking a stance on it or offer the stance most represented in its pre-trained data set.
reflexive thinker!
generative AI tools are not self-aware and are not cognizant of the biases encoded in their programming. Human writers must consider what biases seem to inform the information these tools offer and do the research necessary to compare alternative perspectives and approaches.
knowledge producer!
generative AI tools are extraordinarily efficient at synthesizing and summarizing existing knowledge; they draw on their pre-trained knowledge to predict the likely next words or phrases as they generate responses to your prompts. They offer the equivalent of the all-about pages on Wikipedia. Human writers must play the role of knowledge producer by thinking about existing information from unique perspectives (see the Avoiding Plagiarism page for information about creating intellectual property)
Are you familiar with your institution's policies regarding student use of generative AI tools to complete coursework? Ask your professors or tutors at the Writing Centre for guidance here. Review the Senate policy on academic integrity.
Assume that you are not permitted to use generative AI writing tools unless you are explicitly permitted to do so by your course instructors.
Note that some previously recommended writing tools (e.g., Grammarly, MS Word) may become sanctioned as they adopt generative AI functionalities. Always ask for clarification before using them.
It’s a good idea to begin emails with “Dear professor [lastname],...”
Identify the generative AI tool you’d like to use
Clarify how you want to use the tool in the course of completing the assignment/coursework. Examples:
to conduct preliminary research
to translate your ideas from your dominant language into English
to refine your ideas or arguments
to find counter-arguments
to experiment with different ways of phrasing or framing ideas
etc...
Offer to keep and make available documentation of your writing process (drafts, screenshots of tool use, etc)
Before asking: review the course syllabus and assignment instructions to see if your questions are answered there!
Dear Professor [lastname],
I’m your student in [course]. I am writing to request clarification on your course policies regarding the use of generative AI tools [specify assignment]. I am interested in taking advantage of the features of ChatGPT to [specify how and the purposes of your use].
Please let me know how you feel about this sort of use of ChatGPT. I would be happy to document my uses of chatGPT as well as other elements of my writing process for your review.
Many thanks for the clarification!
Best regards,
[your name]
[student number]
Many tools save user inputs and include them into their database.
Everything you put into any of these tools becomes part of the tool’s database (same with other writing tools...)
Do not give them your intellectual property (IP) OR your employer’s proprietary information
Do not give them information that you do not others to have
Be aware of the passive release of your IP through integrated tools (like Grammarly and forthcoming word processor plug-ins)
Many tools are trained on biased data sets and normative English language standards that encourage writers to conform to societal norms in the ways they write and in the positions they take on critical issues.
Do additional research to discover diverse and critical perspectives.
Question corrections to standard English or academic styles - your personal language choices are meaningful!
Be wary of tools that integrate across platforms and impose normative standards across writing contexts.