Dumbing Down My Words to Prove I'm Human

I am a university student, and my entire academic existence is currently governed by a pervasive, suffocating fear. Two months ago, an extensive literature review I spent three weeks researching and writing was flagged by the university's automated detection software as being "eighty percent generated by artificial intelligence." I was summoned to an academic integrity hearing, where I sat weeping in front of a disciplinary committee. I provided my digital document revision history, my timestamped library database checkouts, and my rough handwritten outlines. The committee eventually cleared me, but the psychological damage was permanent. Now, I actively sabotage my own intellectual capabilities. When I write an essay, if a sentence flows too elegantly or uses advanced vocabulary, I deliberately rewrite it to be shorter and choppier. I occasionally leave minor grammatical errors or awkward transitions in my final drafts. It is an open secret among the student body: the detection algorithms flag articulate, structured prose as suspicious. This is especially true for neurodivergent students or those of us who speak English as a second language. I used to love writing. I used to take pride in crafting a nuanced argument. Now, I merely write to survive the scanner. We are being trained to perform incompetence, degrading our own communication skills simply to prove our humanity to a flawed machine.