One of my great frustrations during the last couple of years of my college-teaching career was students using generative AI tools like ChatGPT to complete their homework. It was sad to see with academic homework, but what really disappointed me was when my commentary and blogging students used AI prompts to create posts that were supposed to be all about them learning to develop their own voices. Here was a chance to write persuasively, entertainingly, about wide-open topics, to make their own voices heard; but a few would rather speak through the grossly anonymous voice of the AI intellectual blender.
Photo of Stanley Druckenmiller by Scott Olson published in the WSJ in 2016.
In an interview with NOTUS (now the Washington Sun), Druckenmiller said, “There’s a reason I moved from an English major to being an economics major. I’m not embarrassed by it… I write everything using AI now for the same reason I use a calculator when I do math problems.”
The Sun went on to note that Paul Gigot, editorial page editor of the WSJ, defended publishing commentary composed by AI:
“AI is a fact of modern life. People will use it to assist in their work and their writing, including with research, checking grammar, editing and more,” Gigot said. “The question for us is whether what we publish from contributors reflects an author’s original argument, and if the author has the standing and credibility to make it. In Stan Druckenmiller’s case, we have had a relationship with him for many years, and nobody can doubt that his op-ed is his genuine opinion.”
I suppose it should come as no surprise to see a prominent individual using AI to create a commentary as such pieces have often been often composed by ghost writers in the past. In fact, it has been generally presumed that a large portion of op/eds “written” by politicians, businesspeople, and other powerful people have been done with the assistance of a professional writer.
Alexander Lewis, a professional ghostwriter has a good discussion of “ghosting” on his marketing page Lewis Commercial Writing:
If I had to estimate, I’d say that 60% to 80% of business and self-help nonfiction books published today are ghostwritten or authored with the help of a collaborator. Most entrepreneurs, executives, and celebrities simply don’t have the time to sit down and pen a full-length book.
The numbers might be slightly lower for op-eds and essays—but not much. When you see a busy politician writing for the Wall Street Journal or a famous founder writing for Forbes, most of the time they have help.
Lewis explains that ghost writing is a collaborative process where the ghost works at capturing their client’s voice and sharpening their writing:
[E]very project starts with recorded conversations—usually Zoom interviews. I’ll pull the transcripts and use them as the foundation of your article or book, ensuring your voice comes through seamlessly in the final piece.
But calls aren’t just about capturing your voice—they’re about sharpening your ideas. The best thought leadership ghostwriting isn’t built on empty platitudes. It’s bold, unconventional, and challenges readers to see the world differently. That kind of thinking doesn’t happen by accident—it comes from wrestling with ideas.
That’s where I come in. On our calls, I push back, dig deeper, and refine your insights—so your writing reflects the full depth of your thinking.
My old friend Dr. Chris Roberts, associate professor of journalism at University of Alabama, has served for years on the Society of Professional Journalists ethics committee, working on revisions to their code of ethics. Roberts says there is something inherently different about working with a ghostwriter than using generative AI. “The question about AI is the involvement of a human being,” he said. “Is a human touching it or is AI doing the work?”
Roberts thinks this is an important distinction. When the author works with a ghost, they know where the ideas and writing are coming from. But when they use AI, they have no idea where the large language model is drawing the information from. He also notes that some people see using AI to write things as problematic because the models were trained using stolen documents.
So what do you think?
Is using AI to compose articles in outlets like the Wall Street Journal ok?
Should authors be required to disclosed their use of AI?
Is using AI to write no different than using a ghost? Why do you think that?
NOTE: We’ll come back to Dr. Roberts later this year to talk about the revised SPJ Code of Ethics.
Novelist Robert Harris, author of Conclavethat was the basis of the hit movie by the same title, wrote the thriller The Ghost about a ghostwriter working with a former British prime minister (who is fictional but sounds a lot like the real former PM Tony Blair) on his memoirs. But as is typical of Harris’ novels, murder, shocking secrets, and major twists ensue. I enjoyed both the novel and the subsequent film starring Ewan McGregor and Pierce Brosnan. I recommend them both.
Note: I am an Amazon partner. Links to purchase books, movies and other materials mentioned here will provide small amounts of financial support for this blog.
Using AI to do your homework isn’t limited to college students
One of my great frustrations during the last couple of years of my college-teaching career was students using generative AI tools like ChatGPT to complete their homework. It was sad to see with academic homework, but what really disappointed me was when my commentary and blogging students used AI prompts to create posts that were supposed to be all about them learning to develop their own voices. Here was a chance to write persuasively, entertainingly, about wide-open topics, to make their own voices heard; but a few would rather speak through the grossly anonymous voice of the AI intellectual blender.
Photo of Stanley Druckenmiller by Scott Olson published in the WSJ in 2016.
So I was disappointed to see the Wall Street Journal publish an op/ed under the headline “Let the Bond Market Speak” by billionaire economist Stanley Druckenmiller with no indication that it was written primarily by AI. The Washington Sun reported on Aug. 25, the day after Druckenmiller’s commentary was published, that the economist acknowledged his criticism of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s handling of the bond market was written using AI.
In an interview with NOTUS (now the Washington Sun), Druckenmiller said, “There’s a reason I moved from an English major to being an economics major. I’m not embarrassed by it… I write everything using AI now for the same reason I use a calculator when I do math problems.”
The Sun went on to note that Paul Gigot, editorial page editor of the WSJ, defended publishing commentary composed by AI:
“AI is a fact of modern life. People will use it to assist in their work and their writing, including with research, checking grammar, editing and more,” Gigot said. “The question for us is whether what we publish from contributors reflects an author’s original argument, and if the author has the standing and credibility to make it. In Stan Druckenmiller’s case, we have had a relationship with him for many years, and nobody can doubt that his op-ed is his genuine opinion.”
I suppose it should come as no surprise to see a prominent individual using AI to create a commentary as such pieces have often been often composed by ghost writers in the past. In fact, it has been generally presumed that a large portion of op/eds “written” by politicians, businesspeople, and other powerful people have been done with the assistance of a professional writer.
Alexander Lewis, a professional ghostwriter has a good discussion of “ghosting” on his marketing page Lewis Commercial Writing:
If I had to estimate, I’d say that 60% to 80% of business and self-help nonfiction books published today are ghostwritten or authored with the help of a collaborator. Most entrepreneurs, executives, and celebrities simply don’t have the time to sit down and pen a full-length book.
The numbers might be slightly lower for op-eds and essays—but not much. When you see a busy politician writing for the Wall Street Journal or a famous founder writing for Forbes, most of the time they have help.
Lewis explains that ghost writing is a collaborative process where the ghost works at capturing their client’s voice and sharpening their writing:
[E]very project starts with recorded conversations—usually Zoom interviews. I’ll pull the transcripts and use them as the foundation of your article or book, ensuring your voice comes through seamlessly in the final piece.
My old friend Dr. Chris Roberts, associate professor of journalism at University of Alabama, has served for years on the Society of Professional Journalists ethics committee, working on revisions to their code of ethics. Roberts says there is something inherently different about working with a ghostwriter than using generative AI. “The question about AI is the involvement of a human being,” he said. “Is a human touching it or is AI doing the work?”
Roberts thinks this is an important distinction. When the author works with a ghost, they know where the ideas and writing are coming from. But when they use AI, they have no idea where the large language model is drawing the information from. He also notes that some people see using AI to write things as problematic because the models were trained using stolen documents.
So what do you think?
NOTE: We’ll come back to Dr. Roberts later this year to talk about the revised SPJ Code of Ethics.
Novelist Robert Harris, author of Conclave that was the basis of the hit movie by the same title, wrote the thriller The Ghost about a ghostwriter working with a former British prime minister (who is fictional but sounds a lot like the real former PM Tony Blair) on his memoirs. But as is typical of Harris’ novels, murder, shocking secrets, and major twists ensue. I enjoyed both the novel and the subsequent film starring Ewan McGregor and Pierce Brosnan. I recommend them both.
Note: I am an Amazon partner. Links to purchase books, movies and other materials mentioned here will provide small amounts of financial support for this blog.