A friend recently shared this New York Times opinion piece on AI and writing. It’s worth reading because it raises an important question: if AI starts doing our writing, do we eventually stop doing our thinking?
I agree with the warning.
But I also think there’s another perspective that deserves a seat at the table.
I’m neurodivergent.
My challenge has never been a lack of ideas. It’s translating the hundreds of thoughts racing through my mind into words that other people can follow. Sometimes I know exactly what I mean, but I can’t get it out in a way that reflects what’s in my head.
AI doesn’t tell me what to think.
It helps me articulate what I already think.
Often, it feels like a conversation:
“I think this is what you’re trying to say.”
Sometimes I respond, “Yes, exactly.”
Other times, “No, that’s not me at all.”
That process isn’t outsourcing my thinking. It’s refining it until the words finally match the thought.
For me, AI is therapeutic. It removes the friction between my mind and my ability to communicate. The ideas remain mine. The curiosity is mine. The convictions are mine. AI simply helps me express them with greater clarity.
The article warns against outsourcing thought, and I agree. We should never stop wrestling with our own ideas.
But I also believe we should recognize that for many neurodivergent people, AI isn’t replacing the thinking.
It’s translating it.
Perhaps the question isn’t whether AI wrote the words.
Perhaps the better question is:
Did the thought begin with you?
If the answer is yes, then AI isn’t replacing your voice.
It’s helping the world hear it.
New York Times Opinion: “Artificial Intelligence and Writing”
0 Comments