Should Students Use AI in English Writing?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are becoming
very popular in education today. Many students now use AI programs to assist
them with their schoolwork, especially in language classes. However, teachers
and researchers have different opinions about using these digital tools for
writing tasks. This leads to an important question: should students use AI in
English writing?
On the positive side, supporters argue that AI
helps students generate new ideas during the writing process. When students
feel stuck or face writer's block, AI tools can suggest outlines, topics, and
creative angles to help them start writing. Generative AI acts like a digital
brainstorm partner that guides learners through the initial planning stage of
an essay (Li et al., 2024).
Additionally, AI tools help students improve their
grammar and vocabulary in real time. These tools can quickly highlight spelling
errors, fix incorrect sentence structures, and suggest better word choices as students’
type (Waziana et al., 2024). This instant feedback allows learners to notice
their language mistakes immediately and make quick revisions to their work.
On the other hand, critics worry that relying too
much on AI may reduce students' independent thinking skills. If students let
computers organize their thoughts and write sentences for them, they may lose
the ability to analyze information critically on their own (Liu, 2024). Over
time, learners might become passive and struggle to produce original thoughts
without digital help.
Furthermore, another major concern is that AI can
encourage academic dishonesty and plagiarism. Some students might copy
AI-generated essays directly and submit them as their own work instead of
practicing their own writing (Shi & Aryadoust, 2024). Because AI can
generate full paragraphs in seconds, it makes cheating easier if there are no
clear rules in place.
In conclusion, AI in English writing brings both
helpful benefits and serious risks. While it offers useful support for
brainstorming and grammar, it can also harm independent thinking and lead to
plagiarism if misused. Therefore, AI can be a useful learning tool only when
students use it responsibly alongside clear guidance from their teachers
(Fleckenstein et al., 2024).
References
Fleckenstein, J., Liebenow, L.
W., & Meyer, J. (2024). Using LLMs to bring evidence-based feedback into
the classroom: AI-generated feedback increases secondary students’ text
revision, motivation, and positive emotions. Computers and Education:
Artificial Intelligence, 6, Article 100199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2023.100199
Li, M., Han, J., &
colleagues. (2024). Exploring ChatGPT-supported teacher feedback in the EFL
context. System, 126, Article 103502. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2024.103502
Liu, W. (2024). A systematic
review of automated writing evaluation feedback: Validity, effects and
students’ engagement. Language Teaching Research Quarterly, 45,
86–105. https://doi.org/10.32038/ltrq.2024.45.05
Shi, H., & Aryadoust, V.
(2024). A systematic review of AI-based automated written feedback research. ReCALL,
36(2), 145–162. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0958344023000265
Waziana, W., Andewi, W.,
Hastomo, T., & Hasbi, M. (2024). Students’ perceptions about the impact of
AI chatbots on their vocabulary and grammar in EFL writing. Register Journal,
17(2), 352–382. https://doi.org/10.18326/register.v17i2.352-382


.png)

