What happens when humans become too dependent on artificial intelligence (AI) to write for them? A new study conducted by researchers from a coalition of West Coast universities suggests that heavy use of AI writing tools could change not only the way people write, but also what they say and how they think.
The research evaluation used responses from 100 participants who had to write essays about the relationship between money and happiness.
The researchers found that study participants who relied on large language models (LLM) for their work produced results that showed large differences from the results of those who did not use artificial intelligence.
Participants who relied most heavily on AI were 69% more likely to give a neutral answer than others. Those who performed the written task without AI tools showed a higher degree of individual judgment than those who used AI tools.
The research showed that AI-generated content featured a more formal style while lacking emotional depth.
The results, which University of Washington computer science professor Natasha Jacques studied, demonstrate an underlying issue that extends beyond the current findings.
LLM produces a force that takes essay writing away from any standard that a human writer would create, according to her observation she used to describe the effect that makes writing dull.
Heavy AI users produced essays that included personal references because they used pronouns at half the normal rate. Writing became less personal as writers used general expressions rather than specific personal details.
Many participants also acknowledged that their work felt less creative and less like their own voice, even though their satisfaction with the final output remained the same.
Researchers observed that AI editing tools produce larger editing results than human editors. AI systems perform extensive text rewriting that changes the meaning of the original text rather than making minor text corrections.
This discovery establishes a fundamental research inquiry regarding the future impact of artificial intelligence on human communication and artistic expression. According to Florida State University computational linguistics professor Thomas Zuzek, the study demonstrates how AI tools provide greater capabilities than basic grammar evaluation.
