Episode 2: The Future of Writing

What if a vast language model crafts significant portions of a doctoral dissertation? We delve into this question and more with Noah Bubenhofer, Professor of German Linguistics at UZH, where he teaches digital language and culture. In his free time, he also blogs about the future of writing. Current AI applications like ChatGPT not only refine translations and rectify errors, but also generate ideas. Can this still be considered as original work of a student? In addition, they revolutionize our approach to writing, offering a tempting solution to the perennial struggle that writing entails for many of us. Is it still necessary for students to learn traditional writing skills when writing tasks can so easily be delegated? Our discussion of these questions leads us to broader themes involving educational traditions, pedagogical methodologies, and even fundamental aspects of human nature.