Ron had cursed out everyone he knew, including the Meals on Wheels delivery personnel and several social workers. He had ostracized what distant family he had left, been jailed a couple of times, and lost his car (which he lamented) and basically every other person who could possibly help him (which he did not lament).
The problem with Ron was that Ron was right. His bitterness and anger were justified, a natural and right response to impossible demands. He had suffered some hard things. The world was unjust. People were cruel to him.
Unfortunately, defending how right he was and explicitly detailing others’ sins against him did not lead him to peace or love or functional relationships, even with government-supplied friends.
The delusional quest to be acknowledged as “right” by others pervades all human life (see Romans 3:10)—even into academic life—and the cost of the quest remains the same: personal growth stagnation, isolation and social discord.
How does this quest to be “right” pop-up in a Writing Center? Ironically, this very human struggle has been brought to the forefront by the increasing use of robots for writing!
Yes, technically, LLMs in the form of generative artificial intelligence chatbots are not classified as robots (only as “bots”), but “robots” sounds more dramatic!
Writing Centers like ours encounter students’ AI use in both disclosed and undisclosed ways, just as we have with other technology like Word’s built-in review features or various programs for citation systems or grammar aids. However, a variety of instructors, tutors and students have noticed that something feels different when encountering writers using generative AI.
Why? The students who use it are very worried about the “right” use of AI (or hiding what they suspect is not the “right” use of it). Students essentially outsource a portion of the writing process when using chatbots for composition, and they know it. The reasons to use AI for any writing task may be justified as right and appropriate in an assignment or even for preparing for a profession. So, even if one assumes that using AI for composition is considered “right,” is outsourcing that portion of thought worth the cost?
Currently, probably not. Most generative AI chatbots are not consistently reliable yet. At this point in its rapid development, chatbots still tend to plagiarize and/or make up data or sources known as “hallucinations.” They can produce text that sounds polished, confident and professional, but the facts cited may or may not actually exist.
Eventually, the plagiarism and the hallucinations may be addressed as the technology advances, and an inventive solution for the environmental impact may arise, but the human cost of outsourcing life skills in the names of pride, efficiency and practicality, remains the same.
In addition, for students, there is a more immediate physical cost that also needs to be acknowledged: Studies have begun to examine effects of integrating generative AI chatbots on people’s brains, especially the developing brain of the under 25-year-old, and it shows marked effects on cognitive health (see the list of resources noted in the Writing Center’s Libguide as well as Kosmyna et al., 2025; Dergaa et al., 2024).
Fortunately, schools didn’t stop teaching spelling in elementary school because they expected Microsoft Word would correct it for them as adults. Educators didn’t stop teaching basic math skills when calculators became common. Similarly, as AI chatbots’ capabilities in writing increase, students still need to learn life skills like writing.
Here’s the good news in sci-fi speak, just for fun: These robots still need human overlords.
Here’s the warning: Humans can’t oversee, detect or correct what they’ve never learned for themselves.
The Writing Center has a guide for faculty and staff with suggestions and resources regarding addressing AI and writing in the classroom at our Libguide’s tab for “Best Practices in Teaching Writing.” Waynesburg University, obviously, does not shy away from technology. All instructors have policies on their syllabus. The Writing Center tutors have continuing education to play with AI and test its limits.
Like most technology, AI aims to help people meet some time-consuming demands of life in an efficient way.
However, learning new skills, growing social circles and establishing human networks of support, though slow acquisitions, are infinitely more rewarding.
This semester, interact more with humans than robots. Dare to be imperfect, learning people and enjoy some fellowship in the Writing Center. We look forward to seeing you!
