We are on the verge of a significant shift in today’s classroom.
There is a growing tension between the ease of machine-generated content and the deeper work of developing an authentic human voice. And to be honest, many students are already using artificial intelligence as a writing tool, often before they fully understand how it shapes their thinking and behaviour.
As I wrote recently in Business Day, AI has the potential to support creativity, but it must not become a substitute for it. Writing, as we have long known it, is both a cognitive and emotional process. It should not be reduced to a mechanical sequence of prompts. It demands curiosity, patience, imagination, and, most importantly, a willingness to think independently.
This becomes even clearer when we consider the kind of future our students are entering. A recent Forbes article by Sarah Hernholm on ‘6 College Majors That Will Thrive in an AI-Driven Economy’ which arguably highlights a truth that bears repeating – the careers most resistant to automation are those that depend on qualities AI cannot replicate, like empathy, ethical judgement, human insight, and creativity. Courses like Human-Computer Interaction, Communication Studies, Cognitive Science, and even Education Technology are not seen to be succeeding because of AI but rather because of the unique human contributions they require. These fields value individuals who can interpret, imagine, translate, and inspire. In short, they value exactly the kind of skills that thoughtful writing develops. And creative writing offers a powerful space to do this. This insight helps us understand that the teacher’s goal should not simply be teaching students to write with AI but to help them use AI to build what AI cannot offer – voice, judgement, and meaning.
So how can teachers practically help students use AI to strengthen their own voice, judgement, and meaning?
Here, I expand on the suggestions from my earlier BusinessDay article ‘Creative writing in the age of AI’, providing practical strategies teachers can use today.
We begin by rethinking the writing process itself.
Rather than banning AI, we can reframe it as a tool for brainstorming, not a ghostwriter. An AI-generated list of questions or prompts can offer an initial spark when students are staring at a blank page. But the next steps must come from them. Encourage students to respond by rewriting those prompts in their own words, altering the context, or adding personal experience. Ask reflective questions like, ‘Why did this idea resonate with you?’ ‘How would you make it your own?’
Another useful approach is treating AI-generated writing as a case study rather than a shortcut. Present students with a short paragraph written by an AI tool and ask them to revise it and make it more human. What’s missing? What emotions aren’t present? How can they inject voice, description, and emotions? This exercise sharpens their ability to analyse, critique, and annotate, which are skills central to both thinking and writing.
Creative writing tasks can also be designed to require a personal or reflective dimension. Recounts rooted in memory, emotion, or lived experience cannot be outsourced to a machine, because these kinds of engagements invite students into themselves, and their voice tends to emerge most clearly. Prompts like ‘Write about a moment you felt invisible’ or ‘Describe a place that shaped who you are’ encourage students to dig into their own world, and that’s where voice most shows up.
And finally, we must be willing to have open conversations about AI. Students already know it exists. Help them understand the difference between assistance and dependence. Let them co-create classroom guidelines for how and when AI can be used responsibly. This kind of conversation builds a sense of ownership and integrity in the work.
As we continue to emphasise the value of the human voice extending beyond machines, note that we are not sheltering students from technology. We are anchoring them in their own thinking so that AI becomes a tool for expression, not a replacement for it.
The future of writing, just like the future of work, belongs to those who can use the machine to think beyond the machine.
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.
