Providing Evolving Ideas on AI and Creative Writing
Overview
Students are given the instructor’s perspective on using AI in a creative writing course, detailing when these tools may be beneficial (or not) to learning and creativity.
Why Use This?
Students are presented with the instructor’s ideas for how to use AI to reimagine or supplement their own creative work. This gives them practice using these tools and insight into how individuals in creative fields might be using them already. Additionally, by sharing her perspective on AI, the instructor acknowledges her own learning curve using these tools, building camaraderie with students.
How Does It Work?
In the introductory module of the course, the following document is provided to students as both a writing resource and policy regarding AI:-
Excerpt from the document “Professor Stukenberg’s Evolving Ideas on AI and Creative Writing”
When is AI okay in a creative writing class?
When you are still doing the learning the task invites you to do. Writing helps an author to discover and
clarify their thoughts, and if you don’t do your own writing, you might be missing a chance to do your
own thinking.
When the instructor knows and okays the use of the AI in that way (the instructor can help you figure
out if you are still doing to the learning the task invites)
Some examples of when it might be okay:
–using AI to generate a list of ideas for a piece of creative writing, but then you the writer still
choose the best one to try
–using AI for background research. (Understand that there may be errors in what it produces).
For example, you want to write a piece set on a tropical beach, so you ask AI to write a description of
the plants and animals that might be on a beach in Hawaii just to help you get in the mood and imagine
your setting. Other example: you want to set your story in the 1980s, and you ask AI to give you a list of
fashion and music trends from the 80s.
–using AI’s computer-ability skill with randomness to help you revise. For example, input a
poem you wrote into the AI and ask it to randomly cut out every fourth word, or cut its length by half.
You the writer read over what it did and decide which choices to keep.
–use AI to re-imagine a scene you wrote. Input the scene and ask the AI to rewrite it taking
place in a different setting, or with a different “mood.” Only use this to give you ideas about how you
might rewrite the scene. Be aware that when AI writes creatively, it often produces cliché.
–use AI to show you different options for formatting your piece. What if it was divided into two
line stanzas? Or what if it was written as prose with no line breaks? Then you as the writer decide which
version you like the most.
–use editing tools in AI to suggest places to consider grammar, spelling, and punctuation choices, and yet you the writer still make the final decisions
The instructor then directs students to use the document to complete one discussion assignment, which follows:
Discussion: AI Readings Discussion
This discussion will help you consider the implications of AI writing technologies for creative writing.
Prep
First, read one of the following articles of your choice (you can read them all if you want!):
“We Have Nothing to Fear from Our Robot Overlords”Links to an external site. by Rebecca Makkai (https://rebeccamakkai.substack.com/p/we-have-nothing-to-fear-from-our)
“Grammy’s CEP on New AI Guidelines”Links to an external site. by Maria Sherman (https://apnews.com/article/grammys-ceo-ai-rules-interview-dea135035893deab37719c354f31a889)
“Why You’ll Lose (A Lot of) Money If You Use ChatGPT for Your Creative”Links to an external site. by Mary Boyagi for Pearmill Blog
Initial Post
Aim for 150-200 words as you answer all of the following:
Explain a specific point from one of the readings you read and then your reaction to it. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Does it raise another point or question? Is something left out? How does this help us think about creative writers using AI, either for class work or their professional-level work?
Reply Post
To prep for this reply, read (or re-read) Professor Stukenberg’s Evolving Ideas on AI and Creative Writing, Download Professor Stukenberg’s Evolving Ideas on AI and Creative Writing,then reply to at least two other students.
Given what each student is saying, how do you think Professor Stukenberg should add, change, or modify – or keep – one of her notes on her “Evolving Ideas on AI and Creative Writing” for students? (Write to reply to the student but also, of course, to Professor Stukenberg, who is open to your ideas!)
Tip Refer to class text and use course vocabulary to support your discussion.
For the rubric used to evaluate your work for this activity, see the Rubrics page in the “Course Information” module.
Keep In Mind
Because AI is changing rapidly, if you decide to include a similar document or page in your course, you’ll need to review and update it regularly.