The Unseen Value of Writing in the Age of AI

Last Saturday I had the privilege of talking about AI in Education at TEDxHobart. 

It was amazing!

While I had many great conversations, one thing I was asked most often was, "Did you use AI to write your talk?"

Of course, it was always asked with a chuckle and a grin, but it's worth thinking about for a moment.

If I had used AI to write my talk, it would have been much worse, but not to my listeners.

Actually, there's a good chance my listeners wouldn't have noticed. If you are skilled at prompting you can get AI to write decent prose. If the AI generated content was informative and engaging then they are no worse off!

Who is worse off then? 

I am!

In preparation for TEDxHobart, I spent many hours

• crafting

• drafting

• redrafting

• pondering

• wondering

• discussing

• proofreading

These ideas are now baked into my soul.

This process helped me to clarify and augment my thinking. I'm far better off for it.

This speaks to the million-dollar question in education at the moment; "Why teach students to write when AI can write for them?"

Here's my reasoning: 

Writing isn't about creating a certain kind of work; it's about creating a certain kind of person.

A person who can think clearly, articulate their thoughts, and argue their case.

In the same way that writing my talk changed me, I have seen writing essays change students. It wasn't just about producing the work, it was about producing people, and the writing process helped grow them dramatically.

That's why we still write even though AI can write for us.

Because writing changes us.

Do you agree? I'm keen to hear your thoughts!

Send me a message on LinkedIn.

Talk soon

Until next week,

Happy Teaching!

Paul Matthews