By – Dr. Mahaboob Subhani. Shaik
University Post-Doctoral Fellow (UPDF), Department of Mechanical Engineering, SRM University – AP
During 1953–54, Roald Dahl wrote a short story in which people encounter the great automatic grammatical machine. Based on this idea, Adolph Knipe built a machine that could produce nearly five thousand words in just 30 seconds. This became a nightmare for writers and storytellers. Later, he compelled them to sell only their thoughts and ideas, so the machine could generate the story and publish it under their name. 70 years later, it took the form of AI.
In the present scenario, AI has democratised writing (literature, research, news articles, etc.) by providing immense access to everyone with a gadget and the know-how to use it effectively through prompting. It helps them produce flawless sentence structure, appropriate punctuation, and eliminate spelling errors. This reduces the time spent correcting articles and also helps overcome language barriers. Now, the question arises whether it sounds fresh, original, and proactive. On the one hand, it is good that bad writing has been eliminated, but notably, good writing has started to decline. AI can refine a sentence according to your preferences, but it cannot convey the life and intention the author wanted to share with the audience. Someone who has never written poorly cannot truly understand what good writing is.
As the use of AI flattens writing culture, it becomes difficult to differentiate individuality. Earlier, people who followed eminent personalities on social media platforms, in news articles, and in opinionated columns were used to identifying their individual writing styles and the way they articulated, and it reflected their personalities. The polished phrased opinions are whose? The author’s or AIs? There is no scope for authenticity. It is ok with an article that consists of flaws and grammatical mistakes, which still carries the freshness. Sometimes we may encounter new words through rewriting and paraphrasing by humans.
In this context, Naomi S. Baron has written a book titled ” Who Wrote This? How AI and the Lure of Efficiency Threaten Human Writing. ” She emphasises that writing is a process, and that good writing often comes after multiple failed attempts and revising drafts- an inherent creative struggle that writers go through. When this struggle is replaced by AI, there’s a concern that people may become less capable of writing well themselves. Already, many tend to forget how to write long forms because they rarely use pen and paper. In my view, a civilization inspired by great writers- those whose powerful words have influenced many generations on various topics- may gradually fade away, and future generations might miss out on experiencing such rich literary traditions.
The author does not oppose the technology but expresses concern about fully surrendering to it. She also notes that while it doesn’t prevent people from writing, it likely discourages them from trying multiple methods or approaches.
She concludes that AI should be used as a tool only, when necessary, but never let it replace your voice or opinions. Write poorly, slowly, and painfully if needed, and re-write as required.
