The dawn of artificial intelligence has initiated a transformative era in education and the broader spectrum of written communication. In her thoughtful article, “6 Tenets of Postplagiarism: Writing in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,” Dr. Sarah Elaine Eaton sheds light on this profound shift, urging us to reimagine our notions of creativity, language, responsibility, and intellectual ownership.
As an educator deeply invested in the intersection of AI and learning, I found Eaton’s perspective and explanation compelling and urgent. Let’s unpack these six tenets and explore AI’s emerging role in writing.
1. Hybrid Writing: Where Human and AI Intellect Collide
Integrating human and AI writing means pioneering new creative frontiers. As the boundaries blur, a unique space is fostered where human intellect coexists with AI input. Educators must cultivate creativity and teach responsible AI use.
2. AI-Enhanced Creativity: A Catalyst for Imagination
AI augments rather than replaces human creativity. As an imaginative catalyst, AI sparks thinking and pushes creative boundaries. Students can achieve new creative heights by learning to harness AI thoughtfully and ethically.
3. Transcending Language Barriers: How AI Might Bridge Language Divides
Generative AI breakthroughs in language translation can herald a future where the barriers of language could become a thing of the past. AI translation could enable a universal translator, promoting inclusivity and global connections. But AI must respect cultural nuance, and educators must ensure responsible use.
4. With Great AI Comes Great Responsibility: Why Ethics Matters
While AI aids writing, we remain responsible for the ideas we write and still teach students to write. As critical thinkers, our role is now more crucial. We must validate AI’s accuracy and ensure its ethical use. Students must learn to write responsibly with AI.
5. Attribution in the Algorithm Age: Giving Credit Where Due
Even with AI’s help, citation matters. Attribution reminds us of shared knowledge and is a habit to instill in students. Citing AI tools and the sources that inform them is key to transparency.
6. Rethinking Plagiarism: Finding Nuance in the AI Era
AI co-creation requires rethinking plagiarism policies, not rewriting them. Educators should revise policies to suit this hybrid era fairly. They can teach students to transparently use AI tools to paraphrase and check their work.
Here is a brief story of a district I know a lot about who in their attempt to stop AI plagiarism tools this past spring, they blocked websites like Quill, which help students paraphrase their writing and provides feedback on their language mistakes. Some high school students talked about this with one of their teachers, saying that since their parents don’t speak English well enough and they don’t have siblings who are older and have the language skills, it helped them with their language arts mistakes. Now that it is blocked many were worried about their writing and how they would be able to get feedback on it before they turned it in since no one in their family or community circles could assist them, so they felt more nervous about their writing and embarrassed to turn it into their teachers for review.
This story encapsulates the balance that needs to be struck between AI tools as they help in the writing process, academic integrity polices, and bold and outrageous cheating and plagiarism. Who else but teachers can help students navigate these academic and writing conversations? We cannot put our head in the sand and pretend they don’t exist (at least on school networks), or we can engage in the debate and help collaborate with our peers and guide our students through this tumultuous and transformative time in teaching and learning as we deal with the disruption and help ourselves and our students find balance between thoughtful use of these new AI tools and still grow in their academic integrity.
Eaton’s insightful tenets offer us a roadmap for navigating the intersection of AI and writing, redefining our understanding of creativity, language, responsibility, attribution, and plagiarism. Approaching this journey with openness and curiosity, while placing human intellect and imagination at its core, ensures that AI serves as an enabler of our human potential. Her ideas and others with similar thoughts about this can help guide the way as we navigate writing in the age of AI.
The future of co-creation with AI is not merely a change; it is an exciting transformation if we continue to foster our students’ creativity and ethical grounding. I hope these ideas stimulate further thought and discussion about the responsible and equitable integration of AI in writing. I invite you to share your insights on AI’s role in writing and teaching and how we can ensure its beneficial use in our learning environments. Together, we can shape a promising future where technology truly serves to amplify our human potential.
References
Eaton, S. E. (2023, February 25). 6 tenets of postplagiarism: Writing in the age of artificial intelligence. Dr. Sarah Elaine Eaton’s Blog. https://drsaraheaton.wordpress.com/2023/02/25/6-tenets-of-postplagiarism-writing-in-the-age-of-artificial-intelligence/
