Writing Is Not a Competition, So Stop Policing It

People are having knee-jerk reactions to AI, with some even accusing writers who use AI tools of plagiarism or cheating. AI technology has grown swiftly, transforming how we produce, communicate, and engage with content. While there are legitimate concerns about its impact, we cannot just put AI in a box and pretend it does not exist. It’s here to stay, influencing the future of creativity and expression.

I’m using QuillBot to polish my writing, and what is so wrong with that? English is my third language, and I want to write well. Apparently, that’s a serious sin to some people. I was writing actively on another site for eight years prior to launching this blog. All was well and good until the age of AI was upon us, and lately the people who police the site ran my posts on AI detectors, and they were flagged as non-original writing. Seriously? I was writing honestly, authentically, striving to improve and find my voice. And instead of being encouraged, I was accused, cornered, and made to feel like my growth is a crime. I literally had to shrink myself to make others comfortable. This is insane.

I handwritten all my essays, blog posts, and poems

So after eight years of writing on that site, I decided to launch my own blog. Today is my birthday, and this new blog marks a rebirth for me—a fresh start where I can write freely without the constant need to prove myself. I had to leave that space that no longer welcomes me as I am. It hurts, but here, in my own blog, I am stepping into something bigger that doesn’t force me to constantly prove myself. Now, I am going to write about something that many people disagree with, and that is okay. We all have our opinions on things. And if you disagree with what I said, I respectfully request that you skip my blog and move along. Don’t leave a comment whatsoever because I am not here to argue with anyone. This is my blog, and I can say whatever I want, so please respect that.

AI is helping more people to express themselves than ever before. Why are we writing? We write to express our emotions, share stories, and share ideas with others. I enjoy writing, and I do so on a daily basis. I want everyone to have that right and that joy regardless of their circumstances. We can’t all go on long writing retreats somewhere by the sea, with our spouses pouring us delicious cups of coffee. The reality for most of us is that writing can be difficult… maybe we have a bunch of kids tugging on our clothes, maybe we’re exhausted from a full-time job, maybe we didn’t have great opportunities in school, maybe English isn’t our first language—like me, an indigenous woman from an obscure tribe somewhere in Borneo—or maybe we’re fighting dyslexia, ADD, or arthritis to get the words on the page.

Notebooks filled with writings and ideas

We should not label those who want to express themselves with AI as cheaters or not real writers. How can writing be cheating? What defines a ‘real writer’? All of this is absurd unless you think writing is a competition. I do not feel that writing is a competition; instead, I believe that expression is a basic right. And AI is not preventing people from writing or expressing themselves. Quite the contrary, in fact. A new publication by a Harvard academic named Andrew Hartwig contends that, over the next decade or so, 90% of the IP generated nationally and worldwide will most likely be generated by artificial intelligence… so…🤷‍♀. And those who swear by AI detectors, please know that AI detectors are biased against non-native English writers like me.

I’m not condoning anyone to copy and paste anything from a chatbot and claim it as their own, but advocating for an ethical use of AI. See, this is the reality of the world we live in—something to ponder about. This is just my opinion, though, and I have no intention to argue with anyone.