AI The Next Big Step? Could An AI Write My Essay?
Some of us like to think about the future. Are there flying cars and aliens?
Maybe as a university student, you think to yourself, “Man, I wish I could get someone to write my university essay for me.” That is an interesting thought. Let’s circle back to it later.
Most people believe artificial intelligence is the future of the world; some fear the outcome, but most are excited by its prospects. In the year 2022, the world is set to progress more toward being AI controlled. Our search engines, social media, and even cell phone data are all already analyzed by AI.
But how far does AI actually go? Can a UK university student really expect AI writers to take over, and if so, can we rely on AI to write for us?
Let’s take a step back to view the big picture.
We can take a look at the concepts of AI and its uses in our world, but first, we should answer one simple question.
Just what the heck is an AI?
To simply define AI, think of it as the intelligence machines display. We can better describe it as a set of computer systems and mechanical systems simulating and replicating aspects of human intelligence. These can range from processing language to speech recognition and even vision.
How does AI work?
The best way to explain how AI works is to think of it as a big system. It takes in vast amounts of data, thus training itself in the process by analyzing it. This can include looking for patterns or correlations and using these to make predictions. This is a simple description of what an AI is and what it can do. AI focuses on:
- Learning processes
- Reasoning processes
- Self-correction processes
Using these allows AI programmers to prepare it for various complex tasks. As the name implies, artificial intelligence by nature has a lot of potential uses. You, as a student, probably think, “I’m sure an AI can’t be a writer for someone.” However, artificial intelligence can surprise you with what it can do.
Is AI present in our lives already?
Most people don’t realize how AI is already implemented in their lives. Looking more closely reveals the truth because AI is everywhere. That is a scary thought, but let’s take a deep dive into the applications of artificial intelligence in our day-to-day lives. Does it really exist in aspects of our lives we don’t even realize? Here’s a list of places where AI is used you may not expect:
1. Your phone
Something most people don’t even realize is that AI is used in their phones. It might shock you, but yes, features like face ID uses AI to function. Apple’s FaceID uses 3D vision to see, and with this technology, it can analyze and scan your face. Determining whether or not to unlock the device is done by AI. It compares the data taken in with the data already stored to protect your device.
2. Social media
Social media is next. Many young people check their phones for Facebook or Instagram, etc. AI works in the background to update you on posts curated to match your interests and likes. It finds you suggestions for friends or people you may know. AI analyses your patterns and behavior to figure out what your interests are, thus creating and linking your patterns to serve you the best content. This can include:
- Posts
- Links
- Pages
3. Voice assistants
Tools like Alexa or Cortana are steadily growing stronger and smarter by helping us with our daily inquiries and getting us directions. Voice assistants have become integral parts of many people’s lives. They use natural language processing to respond to your voice. Analyzing speech and dialects by using algorithms to detect speech patterns is something they were designed to do.
4. Search engines
Google can be considered one of the most prominent examples of AI as a part of our lives. Can you go a day without using Google? Pretty sure you can’t—just like us.
Search engines like Google and Bing use AI to scour the internet for results. They analyze the available articles and data using complex AI-driven algorithms. Thus, they’re able to generate the necessary data and provide the most relevant results. This not only allows them to provide you with search results but also allows companies to get an understanding of your interests to target you for advertisements.
5. Emails
Whether you’re a student or a businessperson, most of you send emails. AI is used to correct our written text without us even realizing it. Auto-correction tools use AI to make predictions and fix errors in writing. They assess bulk text dumps to record and consider grammar and punctuation usage. In doing so, they are able to determine the places to make corrections. We are already using AI to help us write our emails and essays. The latter is interesting to think about, but the real question about AI essay writers is yet to be asked.
So, shall we?
Should an AI write my essay? | Pros and Cons
Apart from grammar or punctuation, AI writers are slowly becoming relevant across the world. They’re already being used to generate content for news and articles. But students may probably ask, “Can it write my essay or not?” The answer is yes, but is an AI-generated essay any good? Here are some of the pros and cons of AI-generated writing.
An AI is going to write my essay. What are the Pros?
1. It’s easy
AI-generated content is something that can make your life easier. It’s fast and takes little effort from the user. Just input your guidelines and watch the AI get started. Therefore, writing would become fast and take little time with an AI. Students would be able to do other things with someone doing it for them.
2. Research and analysis
Writing an essay takes time. We may need to research or analyze many topics and ideas before starting. This can be an easy task for an AI with the analytical algorithms in place. Churning out a well-researched essay can be a walk in the park. The AI can input more data into its writing than a human can, thus creating well-formulated writing.
3. It’s already happening
AI is already proving itself to be competent at writing like a human. Articles, essays, and content are already being taken care of by computers. With writing already being close to that of a professional writer, why would you not want an AI to write for you?
Cons of having an AI write my essay
1. Quality control
AI can struggle to write hard-hitting essays. Handling analysis and correlation means AI works through trial and error. This implies AI can’t always be persuasive when writing. It won’t always write the best combination of words to convey the focal points someone may desire. This can be frustrating because we may need several attempts to get something we’re happy with.
2. Lack of thought
An AI cannot think for itself. It goes off of the data and parameters you set for it. Therefore, it cannot provide the complexity of thought writing needs. An AI cannot understand emotion or feelings. Thus, it cannot judge the impact of the written text. It may generate a written essay, but what good is it if it doesn’t captivate or capture the reader’s attention.
3. It’s still not perfect
An AI can still have a lot of issues. Take grammar and punctuation, for example. Our auto-correcting-friendly AI isn’t always doing a good job, so you’ll have to go in and rework your essay. AI writers cannot fix everything, and this is a common issue. Struggling to fix the writing defeats the purpose of using artificial intelligence. You might as well consider hiring online UK Essay Writers if that’s the case.
Conclusion
AI is growing at an ever-increasing rate and has positive benefits. It is used in many areas of our lives and will only have more benefits as time goes on. However, being an essay writer is still something university students should be focusing on. We cannot guarantee that AI will do a good job because of its current state. It isn’t ready to take over the job of writing yet.
AI has significant drawbacks for writers and doesn’t show signs of taking over any time soon. No matter how impressive your AI is, it doesn’t have the thought and skills of human writers. It lacks the ability to be subjective and analyze emotions or feelings. Because of this, it is imperative writers keep their skills sharp. Challenging yourself as a writer will only improve your talent.
No matter what AI contributes to writing, keep working on your own skills. Artificial Intelligence is the future, and one day, an AI writer might help you write your essay. But for now, the search engines would probably lead you towards professional writing services.
Muhammad Jazib Khan is a Digital Evangelist who has worked with several companies specializing in customized digital solutions and focuses on giving the best software solutions to customers worldwide. He has extensive experience in digital marketing, pay-per-click advertising, social media management, search engine optimization, and other areas. In addition, He actively contributes articles related to digital and content marketing.