I remember many years ago, during my first degree in Nigeria, when studying meant engaging physically and mentally with the printed word. Research wasn’t just a few typed words on a screen. You had to hunt for the right book, dig through dusty shelves, and spend hours reading and analysing either primary texts or secondary sources. There was no internet, no digital library, no instant access to information. Knowledge was hard-earned, and that process shaped our understanding deeply.
Then came the internet, and everything changed.
Information became abundant and immediate. The struggle was no longer about finding material but about sorting through the noise. And now, with artificial intelligence (AI) at our fingertips, we are entering yet another shift; one that holds enormous promise and presents urgent questions, especially in how young people write, learn, and think.
While some see this as a remarkable leap forward, educators are increasingly concerned about what might be lost in the process in terms of our voice, our thought process, and our imagination. Unlike adults who may use AI skilfully and without consequence, students face a different reality. Most still have to sit for traditional examinations where they may lack access to these AI tools. If they’ve grown too comfortable relying on a machine for their assignments, they may find themselves stuck when they need to rely on their own mind.
There’s no denying that AI can help.
Many students use it to get started, clean up grammar, or organise their thoughts. For those overwhelmed by a blank page, these tools can provide a helpful start.
And AI is not going away. In fact, I believe we’re heading toward a time when certain opportunities will only be accessible to those who know how to use AI effectively in maximising their results.
Like the internet before it, it is becoming part of our everyday reality. Some early critics of the internet feared it would dilute academic rigour, but over time, many embraced its usefulness while continuing to value traditional methods like fieldwork and independent research through human input.
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In the same way, AI brings new possibilities.
The concern arises when the tool becomes the driver because AI should complement, not replace, the discipline of original thinking.
When writing begins not with an idea and a walk through the five stages of the writing process but with a prompt waiting for a machine to respond, something fundamental is at risk. If students depend on AI to do the work of thinking, imagining, and expressing, they lose more than writing technique; they lose the confidence and clarity that come from wrestling with a thought and finding their own way through.
This is where originality matters.
Of course, originality itself is complex. Most writing draws on what has come before – shaped by input from others, past readings, and shared ideas. Writers are constantly borrowing, building, and responding to others. But originality lies in the voice that rises through those influences and, in this instance, how a student, even while bearing the traces of those influences, shapes ideas that reflect their own experience and perspective.
That’s what we must protect.
To do that, teachers must be intentional. The goal is not to ban AI but to teach the students how to use it skilfully in a way that will not harm their mental growth and development.
This might mean encouraging students to use AI for brainstorming but requiring that final drafts come from personal experience or reflection. It could involve teaching them to evaluate AI-generated suggestions, compare them with their own ideas, and make thoughtful choices. Teachers can design tasks that ask students to revise AI outputs and explain what they kept, changed, or rejected and why.
Through these practices, students learn not only how to write but also how to think like writers. They gain the tools to ensure that, even with AI in the mix, their unique voice remains at the centre of their work.
Used wisely, AI can support creativity, but it should not define it. That work still belongs to the human being behind the words.
Adeola Eze is a writer, educator, researcher, and publisher dedicated to literacy, education, and the transformative power of communication. She is the co-founder of Jordan Hill Creative Writing & Reading Workshop, Jordan Hill Publishing, and Learning Unleashed Magazine.
