Exploring the Impact of Integrative Artificial Intelligence Tools on the Writing Proficiency of University Students in Kano State

Abstract

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in educational context has significant implications for students’ writing skills, often resulting in detrimental effects. Current scholarship highlights that while AI tools offer certain advantages, overreliance on them can lead to cognitive offloading, which in turn diminishes critical thinking abilities and stifles creativity. This study aims to assess the impact of AI tools on university students’ academic writing skills, as well as to examine the ethical concerns surrounding the adoption of AI technologies in writing processes. Employing mixed-method approach in the study, data were collected from three hundred and twenty (320) university students and fifty (50) language teachers via questionnaire, pre-test and post-test scores from essay writing tasks. Data collected through questionnaire were analyzed descriptively, while inferential analysis was employed to address the stated hypotheses. Findings of the study reveal that the presence of AI tools reduces students’ capacity to produce high-quality academic discourse and promotes unethical practices. Therefore, the study reveals significant negative impact of AI on students’ writing capabilities and the prevailing manifested trend of cognitive offloading. Based on the findings, it is recommended that teachers and relevant stakeholders adopt AI tools as complementary resources, while reinforcing traditional writing methods that nurture critical thinking, creativity and students’ expression.