Dear Editor,

Some experts claim that artificial intelligence (AI) is not destroying the art of writing but is simply changing the way we write by making it more accessible and efficient while still requiring human creativity and critical thinking to produce meaningful content.

However, others disagree. They argue that an over-reliance on autocorrect and AI-generated content diminishes the nuances of individual writing styles. The unique scent of each writer becomes lost and the writing impersonal.

They point out that this reliance on technology has diminished the need for personal thoughts and reflection for which one can easily locate an existing quote to supplement his/her writing and so the quality of the final work becomes artificial and insincere.

Moreover, some maintain that this attachment to autocorrect discourages the need for learning language, for correction becomes like a GPS, advising the route to be taken without providing any reason for its guidance.

There is also the concern that with the prevalence of digital communication in which a shorter writing style is common, as in texting, the ability to understand more complex sentence structures suffers. In such instances, when parenthesis are used, the reader may be unable to make head or tail of subject and predicate, resulting in poor comprehension.

Additionally, some say that reliance on typing ultimately leads to a decline in handwriting skills, which is believed to be connected to cognitive development. No doubt, AI has contributed to speed and efficiency in writing, and whether or not such crutches has encroached on people’s humanity and creativity may be up for debate. But a tool seems to work best by being used as a tool and not as a master.

Homer Sylvester

h2sylvester@gmail.com