AI and My Essay

When I started this assignment, I assumed that using AI for the writing meant the work was going to be much easier and almost fully completed. I soon realized that the process is much more complex than that. The assignment involved generating a 1,500 word essay with AI and then reviewing it carefully to identify what worked, what did not, and what needed to be rewritten. Instead of making the assignment easier and less work, it shifted the work toward analysis and revision of the essay.

The AI produced the essay quickly, and at first, the essay didn’t seem that badly written, but when I took a closer look, I saw a few issues that pointed out to me. The tone often sounded too formal and the vocabulary felt unnatural. Certain ideas were either incomplete or repeated in slightly different ways and I noticed it would use lots of dashes and other strange formatting. The writing had the shape of a solid essay but not the depth or perspective that comes from an actual human point of view. These mistakes made it clear to me that while AI can generate text, it cannot automatically produce something that matches a humans writing.

Working with the AI draft required going line by line to decide what should stay and what should change. Some sentences only needed small changes, while others required complete rewriting. For some of its claims I needed to check their validity and some transitions had to be reorganized to make it more readable and clearer. The process felt less like editing and more like teaching the draft how it was supposed to sound. This stage of the assignment showed how much decision making goes into writing, even when the initial text is already provided, which surprised me.

The AI did add to the essay in a few areas. It helped set up the basic structure, which made it easier to see where the main sections of the essay should go. It also introduced a few points that were worth keeping, even if they needed to be rephrased. It also found credible sources to back the claims that it made correctly. This made the revision process more focused, since the foundation was already in place. The AI could offer a starting point, but it could not express opinions, experiences, or priorities in a meaningful way.

Looking back on the assignment, it showed to me that using AI is not just a shortcut and instead of removing work, it instead focuses the shift onto a different effort. I realized the real effort happens in evaluating the AI’s choices and turning the draft into something accurate and personal. Writing still requires intention and critical thinking, and those parts cannot be outsourced to a program. If anything, the assignment demonstrated that AI works best as a tool that supports the writing process, not a replacement for it.

The original essay:

How Artificial Intelligence Threatens Democracy

Artificial intelligence is transforming nearly every part of society, but one of its most concerning impacts may be on democracy itself. While AI tools can improve efficiency, expand access to information, and even help governments serve citizens better, they also create serious risks. Generative AI systems that can instantly produce realistic text, images, or videos have made it easier than ever to spread misinformation, manipulate public opinion, and erode trust in institutions. This paper draws on research from RAND, Brookings, the Oxford Internet Institute, and Nature to examine how AI poses threats to democracy and what can be done to address them.

Healthy democracies depend on informed citizens who can make decisions based on accurate and reliable information. But AI is reshaping the way information is created and shared, and not always for the better. The same algorithms that help us find what we need online can also be used to manipulate us, tailor false information to our beliefs, and flood digital spaces with fake content.

In recent years, AI-generated “deepfakes” and synthetic media have become powerful tools for spreading disinformation. At the same time, AI’s growing role in the economy could worsen inequality and fuel frustration with democratic systems. Together, these developments raise an urgent question: how can societies harness AI’s benefits without allowing it to undermine the foundations of democracy?

Perhaps the most visible threat comes from AI’s ability to generate convincing false information. Large language models and image generators can produce endless streams of fake news articles, social media posts, or even doctored videos that look and sound real.

According to a RAND report, these tools dramatically lower the cost of producing false or misleading content, allowing bad actors to flood social platforms faster than fact-checkers can respond. When people can no longer tell what’s real, trust in both media and political institutions starts to collapse (Helmus and Chandra).

AI deepfakes that can generate video or audio recordings that mimic real people are especially dangerous. A 2024 Nature Communications study found that viewers often struggle to distinguish between authentic and fake videos, even when warned that manipulation is possible. The result isn’t just the spread of lies; it’s also what researchers call the “liar’s dividend,” where genuine evidence can be dismissed as fake. When truth itself becomes negotiable, democracy suffers (Groh et al.).

Another major concern is how AI is changing political communication. Machine learning systems can analyze massive amounts of data about voters, including their interests, online habits, and even emotional triggers. They can use this information to deliver highly personalized messages.

The Oxford Internet Institute has documented how these AI-enhanced campaigns can manipulate voters at an individual level, tailoring messages to exploit their biases or fears. This kind of microtargeting deepens polarization and erodes the shared public understanding necessary for democratic debate. When each citizen lives in a personalized information bubble, common ground disappears (Oxford Internet Institute).

AI also enables interference in elections at a scale that was once impossible. Governments and private groups can use automated bots powered by AI to spread propaganda, create fake accounts, and amplify divisive narratives across platforms. RAND researchers warn that these techniques make it easier for both domestic and foreign actors to shape public opinion without being detected (Helmus and Chandra).

Because AI tools can instantly generate content in different languages and cultural styles, disinformation campaigns can cross borders quickly. This global reach, combined with the difficulty of tracing AI-generated content to its source, makes defending against coordinated manipulation extremely difficult.

The threats AI poses to democracy are not only informational but also economic. The Brookings Institution has argued that AI’s rapid adoption could deepen inequality, concentrating wealth and power in a few industries and leaving many workers behind. When economic insecurity grows, people often lose faith in democratic institutions and become more vulnerable to populist or authoritarian appeals (Brookings Institution).

Job displacement caused by automation can therefore have indirect political consequences. If citizens feel excluded from the economic benefits of AI, they may also feel excluded from the democratic process itself. Addressing these economic impacts is essential to preserving trust and participation.

While the challenges are serious, they are not unstoppable. Scholars and policymakers have proposed a range of responses aimed at reducing harm without stifling innovation.

One of these is building safer AI systems. Developers can incorporate transparency and traceability features, such as watermarking AI-generated images or labeling synthetic media. Another one is platform responsibility. Social media companies need to detect AI-generated disinformation faster and cooperate across platforms to remove coordinated manipulation. Another option proposed is putting in legal and regulatory measures. Governments can require disclosure for AI-generated political ads and penalize the malicious use of deepfakes in elections. Economic policy and worker protection are other important options. Policies that help workers adapt to automation can reduce inequality and strengthen faith in democratic institutions. The final option I will present is public education. Strengthening media literacy and supporting independent journalism can make citizens more resistant to manipulation

Artificial intelligence has the power to make societies more efficient and connected, but it also has the potential to destabilize democracy if left unchecked. The same technologies that enable creativity and innovation can just as easily be used to mislead, divide, and disenfranchise.

Research from RAND, Brookings, the Oxford Internet Institute, and Nature makes it clear that AI’s threats to democracy operate on multiple fronts—from disinformation and manipulation to economic inequality and institutional distrust. Addressing these risks will require cooperation among governments, technology companies, educators, and citizens alike.

The challenge is not to stop AI’s progress but to guide it responsibly. Democracies that act early, prioritize transparency, and invest in public resilience have a chance to harness AI for the common good rather than allow it to erode the foundations of truth and trust upon which freedom depends.

Works Cited

Brookings Institution. “AI’s Economic Peril to Democracy.” Brookings, 14 Mar. 2024, https://www.brookings.edu/articles/ais-economic-peril-to-democracy/.Groh, Matthew, et al. “Human Detection of Political Speech Deepfakes across Transcripts, Audio, and Video.” Nature Communications, vol. 15, no. 1, 2024, p. 7629, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-51998-z.Helmus, Todd C., and Bilva Chandra. “Generative Artificial Intelligence Threats to Information Integrity and Potential Policy Responses.” RAND Corporation, 16 Apr. 2024, https://www.rand.org/pubs/perspectives/PEA3089-1.html.Oxford Internet Institute. “Disinformation.” Oxford Internet Institute, https://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/news-events/oii_tag/disinformation/.