AI in Academic Writing: A Good Idea or Not?

What are the Pros and Cons of Using AI for Academic Writing?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has revolutionised every aspect of human life. From assigning small tasks to asking AI to remind a date to using it in a professional career, it is now a major part of every field. Will be wrong to say that these tools know us more than anyone? Of course, your best friend Alexa knows you better and your activities better than anyone else. I believe that’s enough to recognise the importance of this tool.

Over time, AI has been a major part of academia as well. Students use it for different tasks such as making notes, writing content, or taking classes. Indeed, it has different outcomes for a student, and one must know about it.

In this guide, we will discuss the pros and cons of using AI for academic writing. So, stay with me till the end of this blog.

What Is AI Writing

In simpler words, AI-generated content such as articles, blogs, web content, etc is known as “AI writing”. Students across the world are using it to write academic tasks such as assignments, essays, and others. One of the most common examples of these tools is our most-used and go-to helper, “ChatGPT”. It can generate content within a few minutes according to the given requirements by a user.

There are several other tools used to generate academic content; these are:

●      Perplexity

●      Quillbbot

●      Consensus

●      Gemini

●      SchoolAI

How Does AI Work?

Users find it super easy to use AI tools. But do you know how it works? This is how they process it:

1. After telling the tool about your requirements, it performs research and gathers existing information.
2. The data is collected by search engines, and it generates content based on the given prompt.
3. It’s also capable of using different keywords and phrases in the content.

Pros

As per research performed in Hong Kong among 399 students, Chan and Hu (2023) found that the majority of participants show a positive attitude toward using AI for writing academic tasks (Source: ResearchGate).

Well, if a lot of students are using these tools, then definitely there might be some great perks, right? Let’s find out!

Efficiency and Time-Saving

Be it any course or degree program, academia demands a student’s time and effort. Pupils have to manage different duties such as preparing for exams, writing academic tasks, and taking classes.

So, students take the opportunity to get help from AI for writing content. It significantly lessens the time and provides better results (obviously, AI-written content would be flawless).

So it sounds like a student finds it beneficial to use it and save time for performing other day-to-day tasks.

Fact Check

●      Through research, it is stated that almost 34.2% of students use AI tools daily, and 41.06% weekly (Source: ResearchGate).

●      These tools are not just helpful but central to improving the efficiency and quality of academic tasks (Source: ScienceDirect)

Cost-Effective

Writing academic content is super hard. Students desire to submit top-quality content to their professors to get A+ grades.

When it comes to hiring freelancers or quality content writers, they might ask your entire bank balance for it. However, their financial situations don’t allow them to spend a lot. Therefore, they seek help from AI tools for writing academic tasks.

Help With Writer’s Block

Have you ever faced the constant pressure of submitting original and engaging academic content? I guess all students might have gone through this situation. Sigh, writer’s block is a real thing!

Be it writing, structuring, or proofreading, a student might face these problems. When approaching deadlines, writing top-notch content, and matching professors’ expectations, multiple issues may occur.

This is when students get help from AI tools and generate academic content.

 

You must be on your way to using AI tools for academic writing after reading about these exceptional benefits. But before you do that, wait and read the cons as well.

Cons

Poor Quality and Plagiarism

A topic comes with black-and-white areas in content writing. But what about the grey parts? Well, this is when the AI loses its credibility.

As we know, AI gathers information from the existing database available on Google. They are efficient in providing immediate content. However, the sources it uses are not cited.

Students submit this content without cross-checking. As a result, their tasks get marked as plagiarised, and they lose marks. Don’t believe me?

As per research, 21.9% of degree students, 10.7 of pre-university students, and 1.5% of diploma students reported that their marks were deducted due to the omission of citations (Source: ResearchGate).

Now, you know what sort of damage AI-generated content can cause. I’m sure you will understand it completely by the end of this blog.

Lack of Creativity

Can machines/robots write better than humans? Well, I doubt it. AI tools can only help you to structure, plan, and provide some tips for academic writing. However, the element of creativity is always lacking in AI-generated material.

For example, if you want to share a sad or happy story, a machine cannot match your ability to express feelings and add that SPARK into the content.

Additional Risks to Use AI for Academic Writing

1. Bias and unfairness: AI lacks emotional understanding. This algorithm may not consider ethical, cultural, and social norms.
2. Incorrect or outdated information: These tools might generate content using old or outdated information.
3. Privacy concerns: These tools can be vulnerable to hacking and data breaches.

What’s Our Take on Using AI for Writing?

Well, in my opinion, a user must have a basic understanding to use these tools. Otherwise, it can affect your grades.

Students are usually short of time and their pockets don’t allow them to get help from experts. Therefore, they seek help from AI.

However, getting assistance from a professional not only helps you complete your tasks but also guides you toward the right approaches. Like If you are an OTHM student and you are stuck on an assignment. Then, taking OTHM Assignment Writing Services from professionals helps you understand your mistakes and choose the best practices.

Wrapping Up

Now that you have read this blog and know both the pros and cons of using AI for academic writing, what’s your decision? Will you use these tools for your academic tasks?

I believe there’s no harm in getting help from these tools to save time and reduce effort. However, it cannot create content like a human can!

Moreover, if you use them for generating content, then make sure to check the information and cite the sources. Best of luck!