Western Washington University students are starting to notice the effects of artificial intelligence in the classroom and their future careers as it transforms industries around the globe.
Some people, like Rey Darby, a creative writing major at Western, see the emergence of AI as a growing conflict between the efficiency of machines and human creativity.
“Thankfully, AI is banned in most of my classes,” Darby said. “Art is beautiful because every part of the process reflects a human choice. That ‘humanness’, woven into every word and decision, is what gives art its soul. AI just can’t replicate that.”
Darby, who fell in love with storytelling at a young age, said their choice to study creative writing came from a desire to “read books that didn’t exist,” leading them to write their own. But as generative AI becomes more capable of producing stories, essays and poetry, many writers fear being replaced by technology marketed as innovation.
“It’s a means to cut costs,” Darby said. “If an AI can do a half-decent job, companies don’t have to pay all the people working in that field. It’s using massive amounts of energy and resources, and yet it’s being sold as progress.”
Darby said they’re focusing on refining their artistic abilities and believing in their inherent worth, rather than depending on technology or an employer’s perception of profitability.
In the classroom, instructors like Dennin Ellis, a faculty member in Western’s English Department, are navigating the challenges of teaching in an AI-driven world.
“I’ve had to keep an eye out for it because it’s like the ultimate shortcut for a student,” Ellis said. “The first few times I saw these kinds of assignments, I didn’t recognize them at first because they look relatively close to a real essay. So, I’ve had to tinker with AI myself just to see how students might be using it and therefore how I can recognize it.”
Ellis said he now focuses on understanding why students might turn to AI rather than simply trying to detect it. “It’s made me think more about how to make my teaching student-friendly so students don’t feel compelled to use AI,” he said.
When it comes to grading, however, the challenge remains. Ellis explained that “there’s no foolproof method to confirm something was written by AI.”
Still, Ellis sees value in doubling down on what makes human thinking unique. “AI can’t really do the deep dive of thinking, analyzing something in depth to reach a nuanced conclusion,” he said. “Students should strengthen their analytical and critical thinking skills, because those are things that as of right now, AI can only mimic.”
Jeremy Cushman, a professor in Western’s English department, said that AI is forcing educators and students alike to adapt.
“I used to think I knew,” Cushman said when asked how he sees AI transforming the job market in the next decade. “But as I’ve been paying attention and working through things, I think there’s gonna be multiple things … I do think the expectations for incoming workers, from data analysts to journalists, are that you can deal with the software in a way I’m not sure education has caught up with.”
Cushman believes that while AI will likely replace some basic roles, it won’t eliminate human creativity. At the same time, students must understand how large language models work.
“It sounds like it’s writing, but it’s actually just predicting the next word,” he said. “Being able to distinguish what’s happening there and why that matters is something we’re gonna have to teach in English.”
As universities adapt to this shift, Cushman said the key will be integrating AI into the classroom responsibly. “Unfortunately, because of the environmental impacts, they have to be in our class,” he said. “We have to analyze them in a way we don’t analyze text written by humans and ask questions like, ‘Why did it predict this word and not another?’”
Mishele Ross (she/her) is Junior at Western, majoring in News/Editorial Journalism. When she is not hunting down a source or hiding out in the library writing a story for The Front, you can find her listening to music, bowling, or playing a round of golf. You can reach her at misheleross.thefront@gmail.com.
