The Pencil Of The Future

Does AI deserve to get credit?

Who Writes When AI Helps You Write?

When you use an AI system to write, who do you think deserves credit for the work—you, or the AI? This question came up in my daughter’s school, sparking a lively debate at home. At first, my wife was convinced that the AI deserved most of the credit since it generated the text. However, as the conversation unfolded, she began to see things my way: the work belongs entirely to my daughter.

Let me make the case that writing with the help of AI is 100% your work. The AI is just a tool—a powerful tool, but one that doesn’t deserve any credit for the creative process.

Examining the Thought Process

My daughter initially reasoned that because she provided the prompt and the AI wrote the essay, the effort was split 50/50. My wife countered that a single prompt is minimal effort compared to a full essay, so most of the credit should go to the AI.

This seems logical at first glance, but I believe it’s based on outdated assumptions. I’d like to propose two key ideas:

1. Measuring effort by the ratio of input to output no longer applies in the age of AI.

2. Embracing AI requires a shift in how we view creativity and work.

The Pencil Analogy

Imagine a child writing an essay with a pencil. She conceives the story, envisions the characters, and carefully crafts the narrative. Two or three hours later, her essay is done. Would anyone argue that the pencil deserves credit for the work? Of course not—the pencil is merely a tool.

Now, imagine the child takes a slightly different approach. She first drafts a detailed outline, describing the setting, characters, emotions, and plot twists. Then she uses this outline to write the essay. Again, no one would credit the pencil for the work—it’s clear the child’s effort and imagination drove the result.

In both scenarios, the child is the creator. The pencil just enabled her to transfer her thoughts onto paper. The same logic applies to AI. Think of AI as the modern pencil—a tool that translates your imagination and effort into a polished output.

Shifting Paradigms

Our tendency to assign credit based on visible effort stems from an old paradigm. In the pre-AI world, writing often meant hours of labor—thinking, drafting, revising. The output was a direct reflection of the time and energy invested. But AI changes everything. It’s like having a pencil that writes at the speed of light. The creative process no longer requires as much manual effort, but the imagination behind it remains entirely human.

Consider this: When you read an article or a book, do you wonder where the author got their ideas or how much effort went into their process? Likely not. You judge the work on its merit. Whether an author used a pencil, a typewriter, or an AI to produce it is irrelevant.

The massive difference between a pencil and the AI is that an AI can do so much more, with so much less.

The New Creative Reality

As you read this post, you might wonder: did I write every word myself? Did I craft a one-line prompt and let the AI generate the article? Or did I write an initial draft and refine it with the AI’s help? The truth doesn’t matter. What matters is that this piece reflects my ideas, shaped and delivered to engage you.

In this new reality, the tools we use to create—whether pencils, word processors, or AI—don’t diminish the value of the work. The creative vision, effort, and ownership remain entirely ours.

So, the next time you use AI to help write, don’t hesitate to take credit. The work is yours. The AI is just your pencil.

Have an awesome day,

— Kirill Zubovsky