AI Slop in Class

I’m reading student responses to the first chapter of How to Read, Research, Make Notes, and Write. I uploaded a free copy of the book into the learning management system and I’m having them read and watch the chapter videos, as we’re preparing for a term paper they’ll turn in at the end of the semester.

The first chapter deals with inspiration, anxiety, and effort. Students reacted to the ideas about writer’s block being mostly caused by unpreparedness, the “10,000 hour rule” of expertise, and the idea that “writing is thinking”. Many seemed reassured by the idea that they could just start getting things down, without waiting until their ideas about a subject were fully formed. Some talked about the frustrations they have had with writing assignments in the past.

I had used a quote from the comic Jimmy Carr in the chapter, about finding something you could tolerate for 10,000 hours of practice rather than “following your passion”. Several students reacted to that, saying it made the chapter “feel realistic rather than motivational in a fake way.” Another student said, “I think this is an important concept to think about because it would be almost impossible to find something you absolutely love doing every single day. By instead finding something you like and can tolerate is much more practical and does not create a false reality.”

Generally, the responses were like this one: “I enjoyed learning how writing somehow helps you think better and more clearly as well. It is surprising to find out how writing helps you figure things out more easily.” In the midst of all these personal responses that talked about the writers’ experiences and emotions, I also got one I’m pretty sure was written by AI.

This one was a summary of the chapter that began, “This passage’s examination of creativity and writing as a process rather than an innate talent was especially motivating and reassuring.” Although some of the sentences were in the first person, such as “I liked how the text emphasized that there are opportunities for curiosity and meaningful engagement even in structured environments, acknowledging the conflict between idealized creative freedom and the real-world challenges faced by students or employees”, I still didn’t get the sense there was a student behind these words. Especially not a first-year student, as he had described himself in the “Introductions” forum. And the claim, toward the end of the essay, that “the focus on planning and taking notes—especially using Luhmann’s Zettelkasten system—shows how organization can promote creativity rather than stifle it”, suggests a knowledge of zettelkasten that I have trouble believing this student has.

What it DOES strike me as, is a summary generated by ChatGPT, especially in the sort-of obsequiously affirmative tone that that particular AI product always seems to take. I didn’t grade the post yet, but instead emailed the student and said:

Did you write that on your own? Or did you use AI? I’m seeing some clues that the post may not have been 100% your own. In the case of these responses, I’d prefer something authentic from your own reaction to what you read or listened to, rather than something “perfect” from AI that basically tells me what I already know.

If you got help from AI on this one, please try it again in your own words.

I think it’s a bit ironic that the whole point of the handbook and having students read it is to encourage them to react to texts and begin forming their own thoughts out of the things they read or hear or experience. Short-circuiting this process by pasting the chapter into a chatbot and asking it to respond is unfortunate. And a bit lame. I suspect the student hasn’t thought this through, beyond a simple calculation of “here’s an assignment I don’t feel like doing and a way to avoid doing it.” Maybe I’m assigning too much importance to my own attempt to teach a bit of a thinking process that would strengthen these students for the challenges they’re going to face in life.

Maybe this student will be just fine, if he ignores this advice and cheats on these assignments. I’m struck, though, with what another student who works in her local elementary school said about seeing “so many signs that reading is not viewed as essential as it was before. So many students are unable to read,” she said, before writing more about how

writing down your thoughts and information you learned it helps the idea be more cemented in your brain. Almost like it was maybe just a possibility before but when you write it down it almost becomes true. We have so many meaningless thoughts pop into our heads throughout the day so it makes sense that by writing something down your brain thinks it is more important.

I responded to her, “Yeah, I think writing down a thought almost ‘manifests’ it, or at least begins a process of making it more of a reality than just something that flits through your head and is gone. The idea that kids who don’t read will have ONLY those kinds of thoughts, and live their lives based on them, is a bit scary!“ So I’m not sure exactly what I’m going to do with this AI response (it will depend a bit on whether the student responds) — but I feel sorry for him!