Opinion | Young Hongkongers are cracking the puzzle of writing in the age of AI
‘AI and me’ essay competition attracted over 1,100 secondary school student entries, showing how youth are rising to the challenge
As a researcher in AI-assisted writing, I took these doubts seriously – and personally. They reflect a larger question that many educators and writers are asking today: what does it mean to write, and to write well, in a world where artificial intelligence can write too?
Earlier this year, the department of English and communication at Polytechnic University held the Hong Kong Short Essay Writing Competition for Secondary School Students, inviting Form Four and Five students to submit pieces in English or Chinese on the theme “AI and me”. Interest far exceeded our expectations. We received more than 1,100 entries from 75 schools, along with notes from parents and teachers expressing gratitude for the enthusiasm the competition had inspired.
That was when we knew we had made the right decision, despite the enormous coordination involved. We have since resolved to make the competition an annual event, with this year’s winning essays to be published in an anthology available for free online and in print later this year.
In university writing classes, we remind students that the true purpose of writing is to offer new perspectives on important subjects – rather than simply hit a word count, showcase their vocabulary or achieve grammatical perfection. Writing should allow students to develop their voice and contribute intellectually. Too often, however, teachers devote too much time to correcting basic language and formatting issues, leaving little time to nurture originality and argument.
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