Nobody is prepared for how AI will transform academia.
How are those out there who grade essays or teach writing skills planning on dealing with the monumental advances in easily accessible ai language models this year?
Well, there's something to be said about being able to explain stuff to others, so I think essays should still be part of the course. But using AI should be included, so people can learn where it is appropriate and where to be careful with it.
That's an excellent point, that would be a perfect thing to include as part of a technical communications course. The problem is that probably most instructors aren't currently equipped to teach about AI in their fields, so launching some CE for professionals would be a good first step. In my field AI is a hot topic in terms of teaching it to assist with interpreting microscopy, but none of the seminars I've attended have discussed using AI to actually write microscopy reports or other forms of science/medical communication. I could see it being super useful for patient discharges for example. Most students/doctors are pretty bad at writing them.
Tbh, back in ye olden days when IT was a new subject, teachers weren't very equipped either. But I believe critical reading and checking facts are skills that don't need AI background, but are still extremely useful. Other skills can added as we all learn more about it and how/when to use it.