---
source_url: https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.11009
ingested: 2026-08-03
sha256: 0dd6b68bc07383e15976ce04d243f9b767e4670cf2481fb0bcdcc22ca37d63e7
---

# From Planning to Revision: How AI Writing Support at Different Stages Alters Ownership

Katy Ilonka Gero, Tao Long, Carly Schnitzler, Paramveer Dhillon. arXiv:2604.11009 [cs.HC]. Published at DIS '26 (Designing Interactive Systems Conference), 13-17 June 2026, Singapore. DOI: 10.1145/3800645.3813003.

## Design

- Between-subjects short-essay study, **n = 253**
- AI support provided at one of three writing stages: **planning, drafting, or revising**
- Measured felt ownership, AI-contributed text/ideas, and essay quality

## Findings

- **Any AI assistance decreased ownership**
- **Planning support caused only minimal decrease**; **drafting support saw the largest decrease**
- The variation maps onto the amount of text and ideas contributed by AI: more AI text/ideas → lower ownership
- An AI-generated draft based on participants' OWN outline resulted in significantly more AI-contributed ideas than planning support
- **More AI contributions improved essay quality** (quality-ownership trade-off)

## Relevance

For educators and tool designers: the stage at which AI support is offered materially changes authorship and ownership. Planning-stage support preserves ownership while still aiding quality; drafting-stage support maximizes quality gains but undermines ownership — important for academic-integrity and learning-goal decisions in writing education.