Summer 2026
When Words Are Not Merely Words, by Ricky C.
In our quest for greater efficiency, technological progress, and intellectual excellence, it seems like our reliance on and hope in artificial intelligence is looking more and more like a deal with the devil.
According to Graphite Growth, “Approximately 50% of newly published online articles are primarily generated by artificial intelligence.” On YouTube, it is estimated that 20-33% of initial feeds are AI-generated “slop” videos. And from KPMG.com, up to 36% of students currently use AI to write portions of their papers, and up to 19% routinely submit assignments that are produced almost entirely with these “tools”.
The great hope in AI was to find answers to humanity’s biggest challenges–discovering cures to deadly diseases, providing clues to address deeply rooted conflicts, and eliminating the need for punishing physical labour. Yes, there have been breakthroughs in math, science, and language reasoning thanks to artificial intelligence, with recent examples including the solving of a century-old math problem as well as the creation of highly accurate and efficient weather forecasting models. Additionally, the area of AI robotics has been developing quickly and has the potential to change whole industries. But as the earlier stats allude to, what are we giving up? Are the potential of AI and the current advances enough to justify the mass offloading of basic human expression and erosion of how we communicate?
You may share the same concerns, and if you are on social media or watch YouTube content, you have likely noticed the annoying increase in slop videos. But it feels like there is something more sinister at play here–the degeneration of how people connect, our words. It is concerning that more than half of students feel it’s not necessary to create and express ideas with originality and fidelity. And if the information from Graphite Growth is correct, there is a 50% chance that the article you’re reading online wasn’t written by a human. I don’t understand how we got to the point where we feel it is unnecessary to use our own mind and voice to communicate with another human being.
I get the idea that using AI to write repetitive, routine correspondence is a great way to communicate with speed and efficiency, especially for people who are busy and time is at a premium. But there is something lost when we choose to allow a machine to control our voice. Communication with others takes thought, effort, and time, and there is something shared than merely words on a page–you are giving a piece of yourself to the reader. You have opened up your space, mind, and sometimes heart to the person on the other side and have invited someone to share an idea with you.
I realize there are still many people who choose not to use artificial intelligence for written correspondence or academic papers, and there are even some who shun this technology altogether. I am not quite in that camp. AI was created to be a tool, and it may be necessary to recalibrate our use–and expectations–of this tool. Of course, like with any other tool, AI can be used to build or destroy. It can help eliminate inefficiencies and friction in daily life and possibly help solve serious problems in math, medicine, or human conflict. But as illustrated above, it can result in the degeneration of creative content as well as the fracture and distortion of our communication with fellow humans. I am concerned about the current environment but hopeful that we will be able to thoughtfully reflect on the role of AI in our lives and recapture the love of words.
