AI writing, is it good or bad?

Intro

In my English class we have spent a great deal of time working with and analyzing AI writing. This is because my teacher acknowledges that AI is being implemented into our lives, so we may as well try and learn how it can be beneficial rather than ignore it. Before this class I never used AI writing services outside of the editor functions of Word or Google Docs but now I find AI showing up in my life in unexpected ways. With my computer that I got just last year, my automated search engine is Microsoft Start and when I input a search, it automatically comes up with an answer to my inquiry with Copilot off to the side. From my examinations the answers tend to be a conglomeration of the information from the first page of search results, with links included, but this is not a feature I am used to. There is also the rising issue of AI or machine created art and images which are passed off as human created, even if it would be physically impossible. Machine generated writing and art is becoming so integrated in society in seemingly unnecessary ways. 

Robo Grading

An issue that is on the rise is both machine generated writing being submitted by students and machine generated grading. To my knowledge, my writing has never been graded by computers except when there is a similarity score by Turnin, which I have found to be a very unreliable source. This is due to it marking citations as plagiarism, or basic words like “to or and” are being marked as plagiarism, and if schools only look at the score and not what it is claiming, students can get in trouble for nothing. The article “No, Software Still Can Grade Student Essays” by Peter Greene speaks on Les Perelman who is challenging the claims that machines can grade writing portions of exams as well as humans. I find the claim that machines can adequately grade writing to be hurtful, especially in an age where people are constantly online and think online schooling is just as good if not better than traditional in person learning. Humans are crucial when it comes to teaching and grading, as proven during the pandemic where students struggled immensely and are still behind in their schooling from the online period. People have thought that technology would become advanced enough that it could grade human writing, but it still is unable to take in answers that are creative or answers that are short and concise as it grades based on what it was programmed to know as the best, or long essays as the length has shown to have a major effect on grade when determined by robots.

Assignment

For this assignment we had to give a prompt to an AI writing source, and then give the answer to a writing analyzer and see the grade it would receive. I decided to ask the same prompt to both Chat GPT and Copilot to see the differences in the answers. Going into this assignment we were told that the probability of getting absolute gibberish generated was high, but I didn’t have this experience. I asked both AI sites “can you write me a paragraph about how people can be sustainable in a scholarly voice?” and to me, both paragraphs were well written and set up a through essay. I found with the Copilot version it had a few words that were weird, but I did ask for scholarly, so I was pulling large and sophisticated words. Overall, both the analyzer and I agree that the Chat GPT version was a better paragraph. However, the first time I asked Copilot the prompt it didn’t give me a paragraph, but I think it had better information meaning it required the user to piece the sentences together, but I think it would be a stronger paper overall. The virtual writing tutor website broke down the paragraphs into statistics and percentages. I checked the paragraphs for the strength of the topic sentences and the cohesion of the paragraph. I liked this website, and I can picture myself using it in the future with my own writing as I think it provided good feedback that would make the paragraphs stronger overall. Below I will provide the paragraphs and the critiques by the writing analyzer, so you are able to see what I have been talking about. 

Prompt: “Can you write me a paragraph about how people can be sustainable in a scholarly voice?”

Chat GPT

"Sustainability remains a paramount concern in contemporary discourse, necessitating concerted efforts at both individual and collective levels. Individuals can adopt sustainable practices by prioritizing resource conservation, minimizing waste generation, and embracing renewable energy sources. Scholarly inquiry underscores the significance of informed decision-making informed by empirical evidence and interdisciplinary perspectives. A critical understanding of environmental systems, coupled with behavioral changes, is indispensable in fostering sustainable lifestyles. Moreover, engagement with community initiatives and advocacy for policy reforms are imperative for effecting systemic change. Through interdisciplinary collaboration and rigorous scholarship, individuals can contribute meaningfully to the global endeavor of sustainability, thereby ensuring the preservation of ecological integrity for future generations."

Topic Sentences- weak (0) moderate strong (1.00)

Sentence 1- 0.70

Sustainability remains a paramount concern in contemporary discourse, necessitating concerted efforts at both individual and collective levels.

Sentence 2- 0.80

Individuals can adopt sustainable practices by prioritizing resource conservation, minimizing waste generation, and embracing renewable energy sources.

Sentence 3- 1.00

Scholarly inquiry underscores the significance of informed decision-making informed by empirical evidence and interdisciplinary perspectives.

Sentence 4- 0.70

A critical understanding of environmental systems, coupled with behavioral changes, is indispensable in fostering sustainable lifestyles.

Sentence 5- 0.60

Moreover, engagement with community initiatives and advocacy for policy reforms are imperative for effecting systemic change.

Sentence 6- 0.30

Through interdisciplinary collaboration and rigorous scholarship, individuals can contribute meaningfully to the global endeavor of sustainability, thereby ensuring the preservation of ecological integrity for future generations.

 

Cohesion Density: 3%

1 transition for emphasis and intensification (moreover)

2 coordinating conjunctions (and, for)

CoPilot

Sustainability, as a paradigm for human behavior, necessitates a confluence of ecological prudence, economic rationality, and social equity. Individuals can contribute to this tripartite goal by adopting practices that minimize environmental impact, such as reducing energy consumption through efficient appliances and sustainable transportation choices. Economically, one can engage in responsible consumption, supporting businesses that adhere to ethical production standards and fair-trade principles. Socially, sustainability involves community engagement and advocacy for policies that promote environmental stewardship and social justice. By integrating these practices into daily life, individuals not only reduce their carbon footprint but also foster a culture of sustainability that can ripple through communities and influence broader systemic change. This holistic approach underscores the interconnectedness of human actions and the imperative to harmonize them with the planet’s finite resources for the well-being of present and future generations.

Sentence 1- 0.60

Sustainability, as a paradigm for human behavior, necessitates a confluence of ecological prudence, economic rationality, and social equity.

Sentence 2- 0.30

Individuals can contribute to this tripartite goal by adopting practices that minimize environmental impact, such as reducing energy consumption through efficient appliances and sustainable transportation choices.

Sentence 3- 1.00

Economically, one can engage in responsible consumption, supporting businesses that adhere to ethical production standards and fair-trade principles.

Sentence 4- 0.50

Socially, sustainability involves community engagement and advocacy for policies that promote environmental stewardship and social justice.

Sentence 5- 0.30

By integrating these practices into daily life, individuals not only reduce their carbon footprint but also foster a culture of sustainability that can ripple through communities and influence broader systemic change.

Sentence 6- 0.20

This holistic approach underscores the interconnectedness of human actions and the imperative to harmonize them with the planet’s finite resources for the well-being of present and future generations.

 

Cohesion Density: 6%

1 Transitions for introducing examples (such as)

1 Transitions for introducing additional information (also)

2 subordinating conjunctions (as, that)

3 coordinating conjunctions (and, but, for)

Conclusion

Overall, this experience was interesting, as this semester had progressed, I have been taking notice of the different ways AI is becoming integrated into my life so analyzing it in writing proves to be valuable for when I become a teacher. Knowing how sophisticated these websites have become is surprising, especially when I was warned before this assignment that the writing will normally be illegible due to random grammatical errors.

 

Greene, Peter. “No, Software Still Can’t Grade Student Essays.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 25 May 2020, www.forbes.com/sites/petergreene/2020/05/25/no-software-still-cant-grade-student-essays/?sh=454d8ab413fc.