The rise of Artificial Intelligence is transforming how we approach creative work. Nowhere is this shift felt more strongly than in writing. Whether it’s a fifth grader working through a book report or a senior scientist trying to craft a grant proposal, the temptation to let AI tools do some of the work can be overwhelming. Writing is demanding, and AI seems to offer a convenient shortcut.
Recently, the Journal of the American Medical Association published an opinion piece by John Steiner that speaks directly to this issue. Although Steiner focuses on scientific writing, his message applies to anyone who puts words on a page. He describes the pressures facing young researchers who are trained intensively in scientific methods but often receive little instruction in writing. Many haven’t had formal writing classes since high school. Yet their careers depend heavily on how well they publish. Between conducting research, teaching, writing grants, and managing academic expectations, it’s no wonder that AI tools appear to offer relief.
But Steiner warns of a deeper danger: when scientists rely too heavily on artificial intelligence to generate their writing, they miss the heart of what makes writing meaningful. Scientific writing, he argues, is not just a technical task. It is a creative act. It requires shaping ideas, choosing words deliberately, and deciding how best to communicate insight. If a machine takes over that effort, what happens to the scientist’s own thinking?
This concern reaches far beyond laboratories and universities. Students—children, teens, and college writers—face the same temptation. If they let AI do the hardest parts of writing for them, they lose the chance to struggle productively with their own thoughts. Writing is not just a school assignment; it is a form of thinking. When students skip that cognitive process, they miss an opportunity to learn who they are as writers and as thinkers.
The author Ted Chiang captured this idea sharply when he wrote that generative AI lowers our expectations of what we read and of what we write. He called it a dehumanizing technology because it can make us forget our role as creators of meaning. Writing is more than producing sentences. It is an act of shaping an idea and offering it to another person. If AI does this for us, we risk losing the satisfaction—and the identity—that comes from doing the work ourselves.
There is also the question of resilience. Writing requires patience, determination, and the ability to face frustration without quitting. These are the same skills needed for serious intellectual work, whether in science, scholarship, or creative fields. If we avoid this struggle by handing the task to a machine, our capacity for sustained thinking may weaken. And if we turn in writing that isn’t fully our own, what happens to our sense of integrity or accomplishment?
Steiner argues that young researchers should not be shielded from the challenge of writing. The struggle is the point. The same principle should guide classrooms and households. AI can be a useful tool for checking spelling, offering grammar suggestions, summarizing sources, or locating citations, but it should not replace the central creative effort. Writers of all ages need to learn to express their own ideas in their own voices.
This conversation takes place against a political backdrop where debates about information, truth, and transparency are growing sharper. Recently, Representative Clay Higgins of Louisiana was the sole House member to object to releasing certain Jeffrey Epstein files, citing concerns that innocent people could be harmed by the disclosure. Former President Trump, who had earlier criticized efforts to release these materials, unexpectedly announced that there was nothing to hide. The shift surprised many in Washington. Even Republican congressional leaders, including House Speaker Mike Johnson—who had previously called the push to release the files a “Democrat hoax”—found themselves caught off guard.
In a time when questions of truth and responsibility are already pressing, the way we write and think becomes even more important. Whether in science, school, or public life, we need people who can express themselves clearly, think independently, and take ownership of their ideas. Writing—done by humans, not machines—remains one of the best ways to build those skills.
