Artificial Intelligence and the Decline of Students’ Authentic Academic Writing Skills: Evidence from a Mixed-Methods Study

Abstract

The growing presence of artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education has changed the way students approach academic writing. While AI-powered tools offer practical support in generating ideas, organizing texts, and refining language, their increasing use has also raised concerns about the originality and authenticity of students’ written work. This study aims to examine how AI influences students’ authentic academic writing skills and to identify the patterns of dependence that emerge during the writing process. A convergent mixed-methods design was employed by integrating quantitative data from questionnaires completed by 71 third-semester English education students in Makassar, Indonesia, with qualitative evidence drawn from fifteen empirical and conceptual studies published between 2024 and 2025. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the survey data, whereas thematic synthesis was applied to the literature findings. The results indicate that students rely on AI to varying degrees across different stages of academic writing. Five interrelated forms of dependence were identified, namely dependence on idea generation, language and text organization, revision and editing, cognitive and metacognitive processes, and writing autonomy. However, the findings suggest that AI is not inherently responsible for weakening students’ writing abilities. Instead, the erosion of authentic writing tends to occur when technological assistance replaces the reflective, critical, and self-regulatory processes that are central to academic writing. These findings underscore the importance of developing educational practices that encourage students to use AI responsibly while maintaining intellectual ownership and academic integrity.