Author Dave Eggers warns OpenAI staff ChatGPT is ‘silencing’ students

Author Dave Eggers has delivered a pointed critique of OpenAI’s ChatGPT to the company’s own staff, warning that the technology is fundamentally undermining the educational system. Speaking to approximately 200 employees at the company’s offices, Eggers described the impact of the generative AI tool on educators as catastrophic, stating that it has made the lives of teachers infinitely more difficult than they were two years prior.

The speech was delivered following an invitation from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. According to reporting by the Financial Times, the event took place last year. Eggers, who is well known for his best-selling novel The Circle—a work that serves as a scathing critique of the tech industry—used the platform to challenge the assumptions behind the company’s technology.

Eggers argued that the primary tragedy of ChatGPT lies in its use by students to compose text. He stated that relying on the tool prevents learners from developing writing skills and strips them of their ability to express their own truth. By allowing students to bypass the process of articulation, Eggers warned that the technology is effectively silencing an entire generation or two.

Describing the output of the AI as “pastiche nonsense,” Eggers emphasised that the stolen voice of the user is a significant loss. He noted that whether the impact was intended by the developers or not, the result for educators has been severe. The author’s comments highlight the growing tension between the creative community and the rapid advancement of generative AI technologies.

Eggers brings a unique perspective to this debate, having founded McSweeney’s and established multiple schools and nonprofits dedicated to supporting writers and the arts. His background in literature and journalism underscores his concern that the convenience of AI-generated content comes at the cost of genuine human expression and intellectual development.