Author Dave Eggers informed OpenAI employees that the company's ChatGPT technology poses a significant threat to education and the development of individual expression. Eggers, who was invited to speak to approximately 200 OpenAI staff members, described the impact of ChatGPT on educators as "catastrophic". He argued that the tool has made evaluating original student work an insurmountable challenge for teachers.
Eggers' critique extended beyond the immediate classroom impact. He expressed concern that if students rely on AI to compose their work, they will fail to learn the essential skill of writing and will lose their own voice. This, he believes, leads to a form of self-silencing, where an entire generation may be prevented from articulating their unique perspectives and stories. He warned young people against allowing AI to "speak for me," framing the reliance on generative text tools as a "dystopian" surrender of human expression.
During his address, Eggers stated that the technology adds "20 hours a week to the workload of every public school teacher in this country" and described the effect on young people's ability to develop their own voices as "apocalyptic". He asserted that there is "no safe amount of AI in humanities for kids under 22, at least in writing". Eggers elaborated on this point in a June 2026 appearance on NPR, where he reiterated his concerns about AI's potential to diminish individual creativity and critical thinking.
Eggers has previously voiced skepticism about AI's role in creative writing, calling it a "cheap party trick" in March 2025. He argued that true art stems from human experience, including pain, beauty, and learned lessons, which AI cannot replicate. He further described AI-generated text as "pastiche garbage" that could only deceive the "most gullible".
OpenAI has not released an official statement or comment regarding Eggers' remarks. The company, led by CEO Sam Altman, has been at the center of discussions surrounding the societal implications of artificial intelligence, particularly in education and creative fields. Altman himself has expressed being "really struck" by AI-generated creative writing, a sentiment met with strong disagreement from authors and educators like Eggers.
The conversation around AI's impact on education and intellectual development continues as generative AI tools become more sophisticated and widely adopted. Eggers' comments highlight a growing concern among some cultural figures about the potential for these technologies to homogenize expression and hinder the development of essential human skills.