Artificial Intelligence (AI) writing assistance has been around for quite some time, but until recently, it was relegated mostly to grammar correction and predictive text options like those offered by Grammarly. That all changed in November 2022 with the launch of ChatGPT, a disruptive technology that allows anyone on the web to generate seemingly authentic, somewhat authoritative content in a variety of genres, including academic essays. Even just a few months later, there are now many more AI writing programs with similar capabilities that are freely available, and it's highly likely that faculty will sooner or later encounter assignments written with AI assistance. 

In this session, we'll explore the impact of AI writing on university writing assignments and the ways in which we assign and evaluate student writing. We'll discuss how various strategies such as authentic assessment and process-based writing evaluation can assist us in dissuading students from relying on AI writing programs, and we'll consider some of the ways in which faculty may, if they choose, invite students to use these technologies to develop critical awareness of how they impact our ability to think and communicate. 

As the full effects of this new generation of AI writing are not yet known, this session is an opportunity for faculty to come together to receive some information and a few strategies, but space will also be left for discussion so that faculty can share their experiences, concerns, and ideas, with further exploration of this topic to come as more becomes known.