As you probably guessed, by asking you to send me a message written in your own words, I am asking you to refrain from using AI to correspond with me (e.g., by having it compose an expression of interest in my lab, or by having it co-author or edit such a statement). I need to be able to treat expressions of interest from prospective students as sincere reflections of an individual’s real interests and goals, as that is the information that I need as I begin a conversation with applicants about potential fit in my lab. Plus, I want to begin to get to know such applicants, how they think, what makes them tick, and how they write. AI short-circuits all of this, and I don’t think it’s fair to expect me to compose a human-written reply to an inquiry that a prospective student composed using an algorithm. AI has many great applications in the sciences, and I use it myself for many things. I am happy to discuss my lab’s current AI policy with interested applicants. However, let’s stick to old-fashioned human writing for our correspondence.
