AI as Ankle-Breaker (and Crutch)

Many of us use AI to help us get started with writing. It gives us a crappy first draft and then we fix it.

But what if we got good at doing the hard part instead?

“It’s just a sprain. If it was broken, you’d know.” — Medical Professional, April 28, 2012.

Reader, I knew.

Band over brace

I have remarkably bad ankles. For many decades, I thought this was simply a quirk; a layering of scars like the misshapen rings of a wonky tree.

Turns out, I have a connective tissue disorder. My joints are extra bendy, leading to slips and dislocations considerably more than the average person.

Many people, when hearing about this, suggest I try wearing a brace to bolster my weak ankles. This is logical; if support is available, why not use it?

This is actually terrible advice.

Because what is required is strength, not support. In fact, if I don’t improve my weak areas, I’m more likely to pass a point of no return where I must wear braces (or even use a wheelchair). You don’t want to let it get that bad.

So it’s exercise bands for me. And overcoming my resistance to using them.

Putting in the reps

Although my situation is rare, this analogy applies to many things. There is a balance between challenge and support. It matters in physical health, it matters in conversations, and it matters in writing.

In other words, there are situations where it’s better to reach for the band, not the brace.

A question of strength

Returning to where we started, my question is this:

Is your use of AI strengthening your writing chops or enabling key areas of your communicative skill to atrophy?

And what happens if you keep going down that path?