Would you read this book if a computer wrote it Would you even know And why would it matter Today s eerily impressive artificial intelligence writing tools present us with a crucial challenge As writers do we unthinkingly adopt AI s time saving advantages or do we stop to weigh what we gain and lose when heeding its siren call To understand how AI is redefining what it means to write and think linguist and educator Naomi S Baron leads us on a journey connecting the dots between human literacy and today s technology From nineteenth century lessons in composition to mathematician Alan Turing s work creating a machine for deciphering war time messages to contemporary engines like ChatGPT Baron gives readers a spirited overview of the emergence of both literacy and AI and a glimpse of their possible future As the technology becomes increasingly sophisticated and fluent it s tempting to take the easy way out and let AI do the work for us Baron cautions that such efficiency isn t always in our interest As AI plies us with suggestions or full blown text we risk losing not just our technical skills but the power of writing as a springboard for personal reflection and unique expression Funny informed and conversational Who Wrote This urges us as ind