Edward P.
AI use is disappointing
The program was great: compact and well organized. The coursework all felt like it was well thought out and was aimed at getting students to think critically about what the video lectures said. The facilitators did a good job keeping the live sessions lively and replying to discussion posts and assignments. However, I am very disappointed by the use of AI in the grading of this program. Creative writing is the subject that has been the most encroached upon by generative AI, and I am appalled that it would be used to help grade our assignments. Generative models like the ones eCornell uses learn from everything they are shown, meaning all of the innovative creative writing done by myself and my fellow students is stolen and fed back into whatever system the Cornell AI is based on. People who care about creative writing, like the course facilitators, should know better than to do that. I was disgusted in the instances when course assignments suggested that we use generative AI to prompt ourselves or create a block of text to analyze. Aside from the fact that AI is a moral black hole, it's completely unnecessary. Want a student to get random prompts? Have them ask people they know! Want a student to analyze a block of text? Provide one!
Response from eCornellApr 10, 2026
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We are glad to hear that you found the program well organized and thoughtfully designed, and that your facilitators helped create an engaging experience. We also appreciate you voicing your concerns about AI, especially in a field like creative writing where questions of authorship, originality, and ethics matter deeply. We do want to clarify a few points. Student work is reviewed and graded by human facilitators, not by AI. While facilitators may use tools to help support parts of the feedback process, responsibility for evaluation and grading remains fully with the facilitator. We also want to be clear that student submissions are not used to train AI systems. Protecting the integrity and ownership of student work is important to us. In courses where AI is mentioned, those activities are intended to be optional ways to explore course concepts and use AI as a tool, not a replacement for independent thinking or creativity. We recognize that not every learner will be comfortable with those tools, and that perspective is valid. Our approach is to use AI carefully, with human oversight and transparency, in ways that support learning rather than replace the instructor or the student voice. Thank you again for sharing your perspective. We are glad there were many aspects of the program that you found valuable, and we take concerns like yours seriously as we continue to refine the student experience. If there is anything we can do to make it right, please contact us.