Dear Carol,

Some kids in my school use ChatGPT to write papers, and some teachers in my school use it to grade them. My dad doesn’t like AI. He thinks kids should think for themselves and that AI makes everyone lazy. What do you think?

– AI Or Not?

Dear AI Or Not,

Artificial intelligence can be an invaluable tool in many fields, but I’m siding with your dad. As a writer, I know how important it is to be able to think clearly and to express myself without a machine’s help. I don’t phone in this column or press a button— I give it time and thought. I like using my brain and heart and find it satisfying to come up with what I want to say and how I want to say it. Someday, if you submit a college application essay, the admissions team might be able to tell whether you sweated it out or blithely asked a program to generate words for you. Thing is, universities want to know who you are, not how prompt-savvy you are. And what if everyone handed in schoolwork without ever learning anything? Talk about brain rot. AI can sometimes provide shortcuts and save tedious busywork. But there are risks to letting a program do your writing for you. And you’re in school not just to make good grades, but to become sharp and informed, right?

Carol Weston is the author of 16 books, including Girltalk, Speed of Life and Ava and Pip. Follow her on Insta @carolwestonnyc and visit carolweston.com.

More Dear Carol advice, right this way…
🍁 “Dear Carol, My friendship is falling apart”
🍁 “Dear Carol, I’m exhausted”
🍁 “Dear Carol, Was I in the wrong?”