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ChatGPT launched nearly two years ago, making AI writing tools widely accessible. Various news headlines questioned whether generative AI would end the college essay and who would be the first to ban it. As discussions on authorship, originality, and authenticity unfolded across newsrooms and classrooms, writing—both AI or human generated, continued. Today, questions remain about how AI tools will evolve in education and beyond, and whether AI or human writing will ultimately prevail.
As the year comes to an end, Turnitin shares some predictions for the future of AI in education and highlights how the continued use of generative AI tools will lead to exciting and unforeseen developments.
While the debate continues whether AI or human contributions will dominate the future of writing, the college essay and writing in general will remain very much alive in 2025. We expect a shift towards human writing with a focus on clear communication and critical thinking, enhanced, not replaced by available technology. With AI making basic elements of writing more accessible to all, this renaissance of writing will emphasize the ability to combine topical knowledge, critical thinking, mastery of language and AI applications to develop written work. As students will continue to leverage AI writing tools, with nearly half planning to continue using them even if banned. The focus will shift from simply relying on AI to taking command of the content creation process. This will emphasize co-authorship and transparency in using AI to enhance original work.
Much of the fuss around AI writing tools can be traced to an issue of sequencing and timing. The adoption of ChatGPT was lightning fast, reaching one million users in under a week, and leaving little time for thoughtful and responsible integration. The rapid adoption of ChatGPT, reaching a million users in under a week, left little time for responsible integration. According to the Tyton Partner’s study, 59% of students use generative AI regularly, compared to less than 40% of educators. Initially, educators struggled to keep up with AI’s impact on creativity and originality, but growing adoption has raised expectations for both generated content and the ideas driving it.
AI tools have driven an evolution of thought and ideation principles, introducing fields like prompt engineering. Crafting effective prompts has become a valuable skill, fostering critical thinking. While AI and human writing may not compete directly, their collaboration can enhance creativity and efficiency, achieving optimal outcomes.
Writing is a critical skill in nearly every subject area. Different learning, working, collaboration and living environments, as well as expanded areas of study from engineering and economics to mathematics and music theory will rely on writing and communication skills.
Natural language becomes the most powerful way to interact with and command computers. The ability to work with AI to relay important information and complex concepts clearly will become an important - if not the most important - skill. We may see a future where AI-augmented writing and humanities becomes the most sought-after technical skill.
However, the original tenets of learning remain, along with the need for written work, whether AI or human-driven, to illustrate understanding, inspiration, alignment, negotiation and collaboration. Even as AI is integrated more broadly, writing remains the best way to assess skills, and the most tangible representation of learning and understanding for educators to give feedback.
From the beginning there have been two schools of thought around the value of generative AI to education systems and institutions that are still working towards broader accessibility and equity. On one hand, some look at AI capabilities, including real-time translation, voice reactivity and response, as the great equalizers. Their ability to remove language and cultural barriers, enhancing experience from travel to art collection, and improving tasks like grammar and fluency, thereby leveling the playing field.
On the other hand, there are people who consider the risk of widening technology and learning gaps as GenAI providers toy with nonprofit and for-profit status and close rounds of funding beyond anything we’ve seen. The move to premium subscriptions and pay-walled access is a natural next step that could bring us right back to the start, where socio-economic and funding discrepancies as well as geographic and cultural factors have tangible implications on access. Regardless of whether writing starts with AI or humans, the ability to navigate both will be key to advancing communication and creativity.
Generative AI and AI writing detection tools will continue to evolve, matching each other’s advancements. End users are becoming more familiar and mature with these technologies and functionality, resulting in shift toward strategic use. Students and others broader communities will likely focus AI where it is most helpful. Savvy users will take a bookend approach, focusing on early stage ideation, organization, and refining final drafts, balancing generative AI with agentic tools for multi-source analysis and enhanced adaptability in writing.
Detection tools will evolve to enhance teaching and engagement. Early-stage tools will identify knowledge gaps, guiding targeted instruction, while later-stage tools will foster transparency and dialogue, reducing student risk and increasing engagement.
2023 was a year of adoption and acceleration - students, educators, academic institutions and tech companies alike were testing and learning in real time. 2024 was a year of acceptance and understanding - we established that AI writing tools and the effort to identify their use were not going away and we had to find a way to integrate new technologies thoughtfully and responsibly.
2025 brings a chance to reconnect students and educators, bridging gap between policy and practice, expectation and reality. Emphasizing skill development and technology mastery will support critical thinking, communication, and writing processes. Overall, we predict that 2025 will be the year that AI gives a much-needed boost to the value of traditional human writing.
