Is EssayBot Just a Shortcut or a Serious Ethical Problem?

[robertbrown]

So here's what’s been bouncing around my head: people say EssayBot is cheating, but I keep wondering if it’s really that different from Grammarly or even ChatGPT. Professors at UCLA told us to “use tech responsibly,” but where’s the line? I mean, Pew Research said in 2023 that nearly 60% of students admit to AI use in assignments. If that’s the case, isn’t the system itself shifting? Curious if anyone here feels EssayBot is unfair, or maybe just a tool we’re scared to admit we already rely on.

[violajones]

I’ll be honest, I used Essay Bot during my sophomore year at NYU, not to submit the whole thing but to break writer’s block. My econ professor, who quoted Malcolm Gladwell all the time, said creativity starts from imitation anyway. Over the years I realized tools aren’t the enemy—it’s how we lean on them. When I checked my old drafts, I noticed I always rewrote 70% of what EssayBot gave me. For me, the danger wasn’t plagiarism, it was losing my own rhythm. It’s a crutch, sure, but so is Wikipedia or even SparkNotes.