I knew my writing students were using AI. Their confessions led to a powerful teaching moment | AI (artificial intelligence)

I knew my writing students were using AI. Their confessions led to a powerful teaching moment | AI (artificial intelligence)

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/may/10/fiction-writing-professor-ai

Publish Date: 2026-05-10 09:00:00

Source Domain: www.theguardian.com

• Peer Review Process: Micah Nathan emphasizes the importance of peer review in fiction writing, where readers provide detailed feedback, often critically, to help the writer improve.

• Challenges of STEM Students in Fiction Writing: The author notes that students coming from STEM backgrounds often find fiction writing difficult, as it lacks the clear right-wrong framework of scientific problems and solutions.

• Intrinsic Value of Writing Process: Nathan argues that the writing process itself, with all its struggles and imperfections, is crucial for developing thought and communication skills.

• Perception of AI-generated Writing: AI-produced writing is seen as “dead perfection,” lacking the character and growth evident in student-written but flawed fiction.

• Concerns About AI in Education: There is a concern that using AI for writing may weaken students’ cognitive and creative abilities, discouraging them from engaging with the difficult but essential process of writing.

• Teaching and Workshop Shift: Nathan changed his approach to workshops, focusing on maintaining the value of the writer’s engagement and struggle, rather than condemning AI outright.

• Orwellian Concerns About Friction in Writing: Drawing from Orwell’s essay, Nathan discusses how bypassing the friction inherent in the writing process with AI threatens the development of critical thinking and deeper engagement with writing.

• Sanctuary for Authorship: The current focus in Nathan’s workshops is to protect the space where individual authorship and the unique struggle of translating thought into words can thrive.