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Charlie Tell (Mgmt’26) presented his “hermit crab” writing project—a creative technique where writers use an existing structure, such as a newspaper, as a “shell” for new content. His mock publication, The New Negative Times, highlighted how most news stories tend to focus on negativity.��

Here’s a perennial question for business schools: How do we teach students to write well? In 2025, that question took on a new dimension: How do we prepare students to write effectively in an AI-driven world?

We’ve all seen the chorus of headlines repeating a provocative question: ��

For anyone doubting whether students can thrive as writers in the age of AI, Associate Teaching Professor Bonnie Auslander’s Written Communications for Business Leaders (BADM 3020) class would quell any concerns. As 19 students wrapped up the semester, they each gave a two-minute presentation during a showcase of their projects. From personal stories to field guides and posters addressing societal and campus problems, students shared work that showed not only heart but also the critical thinking needed to know when to use AI to enhance their writing—and when to set it aside.

“Many of today’s students are using AI with little guidance or supervision,” said Associate Teaching Professor Jeremiah Contreras at this year’s Colorado Business Economic Outlook Forum. Leeds is addressing this challenge head-on. Over the past year, the school has accelerated its AI leadership through initiatives like attending industry events, launching experiential AI projects, and integrating AI tools into all BCOR courses and more than 30 others across the curriculum.

Exploring AI tools

Students in Auslander’s class explored how AI can solve real-world problems and enhance creativity. Brayden Bengston (Fin’26) tackled a common frustration: unproductive Zoom meetings. He used Fellow.AI, a generative AI meeting assistant, to help synthesize information, noting that the tool was able to detect tone, including sarcasm, offering a richer meeting summary than other AI tools.��

Gauri Mahajan (BusAna’26) experimented with wisprflow.ai, a dictation tool, and discovered that while it incorporates context well, it lacks transparency around its privacy policies. Lesson learned. “While it’s easy to get caught up in features, it’s important to know where and how your data might be used," she said.

Unleashing the artist within

Recognizing the power of visual storytelling, several students showed how AI can elevate written content through compelling graphics and illustrations. Tate Metrokin (Mgmt’27) used ChatGPT to create a graphic promoting outdoor activities. He incorporated a pie chart showing that 95% of people feel better outdoors, but achieving the right illustration required more than 100 prompts. “AI can be limiting for creativity, but it also helps you grow in some respects,” he said.

Shloka Madireddi (BusAna’26) used ChatGPT to translate the concept of wealth inequality into a striking visual. She adapted the Met Gala controversy involving influencer Haley Kalil’s “Let them eat cake” video to create a poster featuring a large cake in the foreground, symbolizing the wealthiest 1%, while silhouetted figures symbolized the remaining 99%. She drew on the to adapt one form of writing into another form. “AI helped me create something emotionally hard-hitting,” she said.

From left to right, "hermit crab" writing projects from Tate Metrokin (Mgmt’27), Ava McKelvie (Mgmt’27) and Shloka Madireddi (BusAna’26).

The human touch

Max Carmel (StrEnt’26) explored AI’s role in customer outreach for Cloakel Capital, a strategic advisory and transaction enablement firm he started with��a partner. Using multiple AI models, including ChatGPT and Claude, he found that the generated content felt overly polished and unrelatable. The results bore that out: His AI-crafted messages received little to no response.

The solution? Carmel switched back to writing in his authentic voice. “Using your personal voice is so much better,” he said. By crafting messages that reflected his personality, he built trust and connection, resulting in a significantly higher response rate.

Creativity still wins

The student projects highlighted the diversity of thought and creativity that only human ingenuity can bring. Ava McKelvie (Mgmt’27), an avid skier, mapped her college journey in the form of a ski trail map, while Charlie Tell (Mktg’26) created a mock newspaper to illustrate how much of the information we consume is negative. The students discovered clever ways to use AI to illustrate real-world problems.

Brett Gardner (Acct’26) embraced the ‘Tell a Story, Get a Job’ exercise to craft a standout project. He used resi.ai to build a resume and LinkedIn profile tailored to a job opportunity in Namibia. Not knowing much about the country, resi’s search function helped him research and customize his application.

For Gardner, the exercise was more than just a class project. After graduation, he will begin his career at Königstein Capital in Namibia.

Timeless lessons

Auslander’s teaching approach is grounded in cautious optimism while relying on the tried-and-true methods that underscore human communication and connection.��

“Teaching business writing used to focus mostly on teaching the rules, like following proper formatting, how best to use boilerplate phrasing, and so on. But AI is a brilliant rule-follower. Now I can concentrate on the deeper question: When does using AI impede human connections?”

Auslander asks students to explore the latest AI tools but also to embrace analog practices as well: handwritten journals, physical books, mailed thank-you notes. She wants students to grapple with a harder truth about AI: “AI isn’t just enhancing our work. It’s fundamentally changing what we need to be good at. What matters now is discernment about when to use AI and when to turn to the creativity that makes your voice distinctively human.

“AI can generate content, but it can't generate the critical thinking that comes from reading deeply and reflecting thoughtfully. The students who will thrive are the ones who read critically and think independently. AI can draft a perfect email in seconds, but it can't build the relationship that makes someone want to read it,” she said.

She reminds students of another enduring tool for great writing: reading. While scrolling through content on phones may be the norm, she encourages students to embrace the joy of turning a physical page—a simple, yet profound act that mirrors how their own stories will continue to unfold.��