Keeping It Real: Majoring in English in the Era of Artificial Intelligence

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Growing Up a Writer: My Crazy Hurricane of Ideas

My love of reading, writing, and stories started at a very young age.

When I was a child, my imagination was off the wall. I started reading at a young age and began writing stories not long after. I recently stumbled upon a letter that I wrote when I was nine years old asking an author for advice.

 I wrote: “I have a question. I always get a lot of ideas for my stories. In fact, I get SO many, I can’t keep up. I have too many ideas and more coming. So, what can I do to stop this crazy hurricane of ideas?” 

My letter to Sharon Creech gave me a good laugh when it was unearthed from a box of old papers.

It didn’t stop there. From the time of this letter to my high school graduation, I kept writing, winning some contests and publishing in a few anthologies along the way. The exhilarating feeling of being in the zone on a writing project became something I strived for, even when I lost some of the boundless imagination I had as a young child. It’s safe to say that when I got to college, majoring in English on the Creative Writing track was a no-brainer.

Becoming an English Major (Not A Waitress, Contrary to What Some May Believe)

However, others haven't always been understanding of my choice to do so. I was lucky to have the support of my parents, because they were also both products of English degrees. But when I told other adults and friends I was majoring in English, the responses tended to be less than sympathetic. I usually got some variation of “not a lot of money to make in that field, lol” or “what are you going to DO with that, though?” I even had an official at a high school track meet tell me I was going to be “a great waitress” upon hearing my intended major.  

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The community that we formed in the Reynolds Young Writers Workshop at Denison was one of the most supportive and inspiring writing communities I’ve had.

Despite the judgment of others, the main thing that drew me to English was my love for writing and all the experiences it has given me. I did a number of summer writing programs as a high schooler, starting with the John Carroll University Young Writers Workshop, which is led by my dad, and going on to programs at Denison University and Kenyon University. These life-changing experiences helped me recognize the power of writing as a communal process. Not only did I get to create my own work, but I watched it transform through the critical feedback of others. The work of the other young writers at these workshops blew my mind, and I felt lucky to be a part of such sacred spaces where we could share in the experience of writing and revising together.

The AI Argument

But are English majors necessary in a world where artificial intelligence (AI) can write for us? I’m sure we’re all wondering what things we still need to do and what we can pass over to AI. 

When I typed it into Google, this is what AI had to say: “In an AI-driven world, English majors are vital because their strong communication and critical thinking skills are highly valuable. They possess the ability to understand and shape language, which is crucial for interacting with and shaping AI technology. They can also effectively analyze and interpret AI-generated content, ensuring accuracy and clarity, and are skilled at crafting compelling narratives and articulating ideas.”

There’s something to be said for the importance of the creative process happening that outweighs the product. Currently, AI writing is simply not the same as a genuine, polished, heartfelt piece by a human being. But over time, I know that the technology will be refined and there may be a time where we truly cannot tell the difference between a piece of AI writing and human writing. But just because it might be “as good as” something written by a human, it’s never going to be able to replace the experience that writing something has on a person.

Everyone who is making art brings their life experiences into their art. By putting the time and effort into writing something, you are braiding a piece of you into it, no matter how far from autobiographical it may be. And by engaging with the art of another person, you are engaging with all that has shaped them into the person they are today. As I have experienced in workshops, writing is not only a way to communicate, but a way to form community, express myself, and connect with others. If it’s not coming from me and my humanity, it can’t do that.

Writing has meant so much to me over the years: escape, exploration, discovery, and creation.

Being an English major in an era of AI is about shining a light on the raw and real. It means resisting the pull in our society today to become a machine, and turning back to what makes us human: the ability to reflect. Reflecting on our emotions and experiences through language and storytelling is our power as people. AI may be a shortcut for some things, but it is not able to think, reflect, imagine, and make connections in the way that we can for ourselves. 

So yes, perhaps the skills I gain from being an English major will help me “analyze and interpret AI-generated content.” But beyond that, they will help me interact with other people, share my experiences, and dream up a better future. No matter what field I end up in, they will help me articulate things more clearly and understand the language of others more deeply. They will help me gain autonomy in a world that is increasingly trying to skip over human experience in favor of both efficiency and laziness. And I don’t see any pursuit more worthy than that.

I don’t think I ever even sent that letter to Sharon Creech. But if I could write back to myself now, I would say this: I know it feels like your ideas are overwhelming, but that endless stream of creativity is a blessing. Drink from it whenever possible. Write every idea down, because you don’t know when it’ll float too far down the stream to remember. Your “hurricane” is your gift. Follow it as far as it goes. I’ll be waiting on the other end.