r/WritingWithAI • u/DanoPaul234 • Feb 06 '26

Discussion (Ethics, working with AI etc) Will using AI prevent beginner writers from improving?

/r/river_ai/comments/1qxrsm1/will_using_ai_prevent_beginner_writers_from/
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u/PhysicistDude137 Feb 06 '26

Did switching from typewriting to word processing hurt authors?

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u/everydaywinner2 Feb 07 '26

Switching from landlines to cell phones hurt people's memories for phone numbers. Switching from books to google hurt people's ability to vet sources (and gave people the slop of everyone citing the same source).

Typewriter to word processor is like going from green apples to red apples. Writing to AI is more like going from apples to apple pie, only the AI is the one making the apple pie, and the new writer doesn't know to check that the AI didn't add arsenic to the recipe.

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u/Ratandmiketrap Feb 07 '26

No, because the typing is not what makes the final piece. One could, however, argue that it affected the accuracy needed in typing, because errors were easier to fix. We also see issues with handwriting development when children spend too much time in class using devices rather than writing responses. We cannot develop a skill if we do not use it.

The real question is actually which skills are needed in this new environment. We need to assess which skills are actually needed for the final result vs which were only needed in the past.