Is AI really ‘writing’? From a priestess to philosophers, ancient authors would have said ‘no’

2026-05-14 · Source: Artificial intelligence (AI) – The Conversation · Field: Technology & Digital — Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning · Depth: Novice, short

Summary

The article explores the historical definition of "writing" through the lens of ancient authors Enheduanna, Plato, and Aristotle, contrasting it with modern AI-generated text. Enheduanna, the first named author around 2,300 B.C.E., viewed writing as a living medium capable of expressing experience and shaping the future, as demonstrated in her poem "The Exaltation of Inanna." Two millennia later, Plato and Aristotle, while defining writing as a representation of speech and thought, also emphasized its transformative power to lead learners toward truth and persuade audiences. The author argues that AI-generated text, despite its ability to create content, lacks the human emotions, thoughts, and experiences that enable writing to "move souls" and effect real-world change, potentially leading to a "blandification" of text. The article proposes the term "generwrite" for AI's output to distinguish it from human writing.

Key takeaway

For content strategists and writers evaluating AI tools, recognize that while AI can generate text, it lacks the human emotional depth and transformative intent historically central to writing. Your content should prioritize authentic human experience and persuasive "soul-moving" qualities to resonate with audiences, as people prefer human-authored text. Consider adopting terms like "generwrite" to clearly distinguish AI output from human creative work.

Key insights

Ancient definitions of writing emphasize human experience and transformative power, distinguishing it from AI's data aggregation.

Principles

• Writing emerges from thoughts and experiences.
• Writing strives to create change and move souls.
• Human writing is preferred over stylistically similar AI text.

Method

The author engaged ChatGPT to iteratively refine and coin a new term, "generwrite," for AI-generated text, aiming for simplicity and clarity.

In practice

• Consider the "pro-human attribution bias" in content creation.
• Use "generwrite" to differentiate AI-produced text.
• Focus on emotional depth in human-authored content.

Topics

• AI Writing
• Philosophy of Writing
• Enheduanna
• Plato and Aristotle
• Rhetoric

Best for: AI Ethicist, Research Scientist, General Interest

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Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by Artificial intelligence (AI) – The Conversation.