Writing, creativity, and artificial intelligence. ChatGPT in the university context

Abstract

The main objective of the research is to study the creative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for writing skills in an educational context. The research aims to provide evidence on the use of AI and contribute to its integration in the classroom as a support for the teaching-learning process. Two types of research designs were established: a descriptive and comparative non-experimental quantitative research, and a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest study. The sample consisted of 20 AI systems and 193 university students who were given Games 2 and 3 of the Spanish PIC-A test (“Creative Imagination Test for Adults”). The students repeated the games, assisted by ChatGPT, to compare the possible improvement of their productions. The findings reveal statistically significant differences between the AIs and the students in the indicators of fluency, flexibility, and narrative originality in Game 2. Furthermore, significant differences are found between students’ pre-test and post-test scores in fluency, flexibility, and narrative originality in Game 2 and in fluency in Game 3. Finally, the assistance provided by AI in writing tasks and verbal creativity is highlighted, and this should be considered in language teaching; in any case, AI cannot replace human intelligence and creativity.