GenAI and the Writing Process: Overview
All Resources in this Series
A quick refresher! What is GenAI?
Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) generates text, images, programming code, etc. by learning patterns from large datasets and generating outputs by predicting likely sequences or combinations of data.
- Large-language models (LLMs) are a type of GenAI designed to interpret and generate language. They are trained on large repositories of existing text.
- GenAI doesn't create new information or knowledge. It can produce new combinations of ideas, wording, images, or code, but it doesn't possess understanding and can't independently check that what it produces is accurate, appropriate, or truthful.
- In a chatbot, GenAI responds to a user’s prompt, which is usually phrased as an instruction or question. As users give additional prompts, the system can revise, change, or expand its responses.
Examples of GenAI chatbots powered by large language models (LLMs): ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, Claude
What does GenAI mean for writing?
GenAI generates text by predicting the next likely combinations of words based on the prompt. Because GenAI isn't making meaning, its outputs can sound good on the surface but feel "soulless" or empty. The text may be generic or it may lack substance.
As a human, you don’t choose words based on what’s most likely. Instead, your choices are informed by your unique cultural, educational, and language backgrounds, and these make your writing interesting.
Even when your goal is to write “neutrally” or “objectively,” such as for a technical report or lab report, your voice adds value. How you structure sentences, describe things, or tell a research or problem-solving story creates interest and depth for your reader.
Is GenAI accurate?
GenAI cannot identify what is true or biased in what it generates.
- It can make up or “hallucinate” information and sources.
- It also cannot create new information, innovate, or invent. It can only combine information from what already exists.
- If information sources are biased, GenAI will replicate those biases.
Because GenAI doesn't think, it's our responsibility to be the critical thinker when prompting GenAI and reading its outputs.
Should I use it?
It depends. Two words should guide your use of GenAI: productive and ethical.
- Productive means that GenAI is helping you learn and develop your skills. It’s a tool and not a substitute for you doing the work.
- Ethical means that you have permission to use GenAI and you’re transparent about how and where you have used GenAI in your work through attribution and citation.
Some course instructors will allow and encourage students to use GenAI within a set of parameters they provide in the syllabus or in assignment instructions. Some instructors prohibit use of GenAI for course assignments.
Without the explicit permission or instruction of your instructor, you should never submit work generated with or by GenAI.
Always check with your instructor or TA if you're not sure about their instructions.
Beware of hidden or embedded GenAI
GenAI is frequently embedded into writing software, like Google or Microsoft Word. You may have added a tool like Grammarly without even thinking about it. These tools might:
- Suggest text to finish a sentence or a paragraph
- Recommend ways to re-write parts of sentences and sections for clarity or conciseness.
Be cautious of GenAI-enabled tools that do the writing for you. You can turn these functions off or ignore their suggestions if they might jeopardize your academic integrity.
Additional considerations
There are significant concerns about the harms of GenAI, from its environmental impacts to the dominance of western and global north data that reproduce biases and amplify racism.
Explore this infographic to learn more.
Campus Resources
There are many spaces and resources to get support with GenAI on campus. Start at the GenAI Student Resource Hub to learn more.
GenAI Disclosure
The GenAI & the Writing Process guide was fully created by WCC staff. Except for using GenAI to show example prompts and responses, no GenAI was used to design, create, adapt, or revise any part of this guide.
No images and graphics in this guide were created using GenAI. Images on this page were hand-created by WCC staff using open-source components.