When ChatGPT emerged in late 2022, many educators reacted with panic. Some declared it "the end of the college essay," while others hurried to ban the technology in schools. But is our anxiety about AI genuinely new, or are we witnessing the latest chapter in humanity's long history of technological disruption?
As it turns out, our current fears about AI and academic integrity reflect previous reactions to disruptive technologies that threatened to change society, from medieval scribes resisting the printing press to photographers being attacked by threatened painters. By understanding these historical patterns, we can better navigate today's AI revolution—not with paralyzing fear, but with informed vigilance.
The Echo of History: When Every New Technology Triggers Panic
In the biblical book of Ecclesiastes, it is stated, "There is nothing new under the sun." Our anxiety regarding new technologies follows predictable patterns that have recurred throughout history:
The Printing Press vs. The Scribes
When Johannes Gutenberg introduced his movable-type printing press in the mid-15th century, it revolutionized the spread of information. Suddenly, books could be mass-produced at an unprecedented speed and affordability. But for the scribes who had meticulously hand-copied texts for centuries, this was not progress—it was an existential threat.
The scribes' reaction was fierce. Some even vandalized early printing workshops to protect their livelihoods—an early version of the more famous Luddite resistance. Yet over time, many scribes adapted, finding new roles as editors, proofreaders, and publishers by leveraging their literacy skills in the emerging print economy.
When Cameras "Killed" Painting
In 1839, when Louis Daguerre unveiled the daguerreotype, French painter Paul Delaroche famously proclaimed, "From today, painting is dead!" Portrait artists were particularly worried as clients could now access cheaper and faster photographic alternatives. Yet, instead of killing painting, photography set it free. Unburdened by purely representational limits, artists ventured into new styles—Impressionism, Cubism, and eventually, abstract art. At the same time, photographers adopted painterly techniques to elevate their medium as fine art. What appeared to be a replacement turned into a mutual transformation.
The Internet and the "Plagiarism Panic"
Fast forward to the early 1990s when the internet became publicly available. Educators worried that easy access to information would spark a plagiarism epidemic. Schools limited internet access, and services like Turnitin emerged to identify copied work.
As researchers Nicholas Werse and Joshua Caleb Smith explain in their 2025 paper, "Nothing New Under the Sun," educators' concerns about internet plagiarism were valid but ultimately evolved into broader discussions about how online media fundamentally changed our engagement with and creation of texts. The anxiety surrounding internet plagiarism prompted significant adaptations in education: a greater emphasis on critical thinking skills, source evaluation, and multimodal assessments that couldn't be easily copied and pasted.
The AI Anxiety Spectrum: From Helpful Tool to Complete Displacement
Today's concerns about AI follow a similar pattern, albeit with new twists. What makes AI especially disruptive are both its capabilities and its unprecedented rate of adoption. As Werse and Smith illustrate, technologies exist on a spectrum ranging from simple supplements, like spell checkers, to complete student displacement, where AI handles the work entirely. While there are valid concerns about academic dishonesty at the extreme end, most AI usage falls somewhere in the middle.
Data shows that students are rapidly adopting AI tools. A 2024 Pearson study found that 56% of college students have used AI to boost productivity and 51% have used it to achieve better grades. Meanwhile, faculty adoption lags behind—72% have experimented with AI, but only 32% feel confident about using it effectively in teaching.
What Historical Patterns Teach Us About Adapting to AI
Looking at these historical examples reveals consistent patterns in how societies respond to disruptive technologies:
1. Initial Resistance Gives Way to Integration
From scribes to photographers to internet users, the pattern is clear: initial panic gradually transforms into adaptation and integration. Even the most disruptive technologies don't just replace existing practices—they change them. With AI, we're already witnessing this shift. After initial bans, many educational institutions have crafted more nuanced policies. Science Magazine, which initially prohibited AI use in October 2023, reversed its position just one month later, accepting manuscripts that utilize AI with proper disclosure.
2. New Technologies Create New Opportunities
While the printing press replaced scribes, it also gave rise to new roles in publishing, editing, and design. Photography didn't eliminate painting; instead, it encouraged it to explore new frontiers. In the same way, AI is likely to generate forms of creative and intellectual work that we can't yet envision.
3. The Medium Shapes the Message
As media theorist Marshall McLuhan noted, "We shape our tools, and thereafter our tools shape us." Every new technology alters how we think and communicate. The printing press standardized language and made knowledge accessible to more people. The internet changed how we interact with texts, giving rise to what some researchers refer to as a "cut and paste culture." AI will similarly impact how we create and engage with information, potentially reshaping our understanding of authorship, intellectual property, and textual production.
Practical Strategies for the AI Era
Learning from past technological disruptions can help us navigate the AI revolution more effectively.
Embrace Multimodal Assessment
One practical strategy educators have developed to uphold academic integrity is multimodal assessment—evaluating learning through various formats. For instance, combining written assignments with oral presentations or discussions enables educators to compare understanding across different formats. This approach, which predates AI, has effectively addressed concerns about internet plagiarism and paper mills and can also be valuable for AI-generated content.
Focus on Process, Not Just Product
When photography emerged, art started to appreciate the artist's unique process and perspective over mere technical representation. In a similar vein, education can focus on the learning journey—drafts, revisions, reflections—rather than solely on final products.
Develop AI Literacy
Just as internet literacy became essential in the 1990s, AI literacy is vital today. This involves comprehending AI's capabilities, limitations, ethical implications, and suitable applications.
Find the Balance Between Restriction and Integration
History demonstrates that outright bans on new technologies rarely succeed in the long term. Instead, it is more effective to develop thoughtful guidelines regarding when and how to use AI tools—similar to how educators eventually established guidelines for internet use—offering a more sustainable approach.
Looking Forward: Beyond the Panic
Historical patterns indicate that our current anxiety about AI will eventually lead to a more nuanced integration. The question is not whether AI will change education and creative work—it's how we will shape that change to prioritize human development, critical thinking, and ethical considerations. As we navigate this transition, we can find comfort in knowing that we are not facing an unprecedented challenge. We are experiencing the latest chapter in humanity's long relationship with technological disruption—a relationship that has continually transformed initial fears into new forms of human creativity and connection.
What aspects of your work or learning do you think AI will change most significantly? And which uniquely human skills do you believe will become even more valuable in the AI era?
Based on: "Nothing New Under the Sun: Generative AI and Educator Anxiety over Academic Dishonesty" by Nicholas R. Werse and Joshua Caleb Smith (2025)