MIT Professor Challenges Students to Reject AI‑Generated Fiction

In his fiction workshop at MIT, the professor begins each semester by asking students to read stories twice, mark strengths and weaknesses, and write honest peer letters. He notes that many undergraduates, accustomed to quantitative problem‑solving, find the qualitative nature of fiction intimidating. The workshop forces them to treat subjective critique as if it were data, a process he describes as both terrifying and educational.

He observes that before AI, students who wanted to avoid the discomfort of critique either paid others to write for them or plagiarized. Now, AI offers a shortcut that produces what he calls “dead perfection.” Quoting his own assessment, he says, “AI writing is perfectly mediocre and lacks insight or personal experience.” The resulting texts read as flawless imitations but contain no personal struggle or authentic voice.

Citing a 2025 MIT Media Lab preliminary study, he points out that participants who used ChatGPT to write essays showed lower neural connectivity than those who wrote without assistance. This statistic supports his concern that AI use may lead to weaker brain connections over time. He also reinforces the value of effort with another quote: “Writing is a process that requires effort and endurance to develop one's thoughts and ideas.”

The professor argues that relying on AI deprives students of the necessary struggle that shapes thinking and communication. By outsourcing composition, they miss the opportunity to translate abstract feelings into concrete words, a core benefit of the workshop experience.

Looking ahead, educators will watch whether institutions adopt clear policies on AI use in creative courses and how students respond when the convenience of AI is weighed against the long‑term cognitive benefits of independent writing.