Jace Erich Evans presented his research at the 2025–2026 Seaver College Research and Scholarly Achievement Symposium, showcasing work at the intersection of large language models and creative writing.

Developed through Pepperdine University’s Summer Undergraduate Research Program (Summer 2025), his project—Supplement, Not Replacement: Investigating LLMs as Tools in the Creative Writing Process—examines how emerging text-generation technologies are reshaping contemporary authorship. The research interrogates questions of originality, creative agency, and the boundaries between resistance and integration, synthesizing industry trends alongside qualitative analysis of AI’s role in both pre-writing and post-writing stages.

Engaging critically with a rapidly evolving creative landscape, Evans situates his work within broader conversations about the future of artistic labor, where technological encroachment challenges traditional notions of creative authenticity. Alongside Tiffanie Richerme (’25) and Dr. John Struloeff, the project advances a nuanced framework for ethical creative practice, positioning AI simultaneously as a generative support and a force requiring careful, informed limitation.