The New Rules of AI Recommendation Letters

Abraham Lincoln ponders the implications of artificial intelligence in this little-known portrait. (Copyright Reffy Inc., 2025)

A BRAVE NEW WORLD?

For years, educators have viewed letters of recommendation as a weighty task — a way to champion students, vouch for their character, and help them access life-changing opportunities.

But writing them well takes time, energy, and organization. And in the age of AI, many fear the rise of lazy, generic letters that are written by algorithms instead of mentors.

And they’re not wrong to worry…if AI is used poorly.

But what if AI, used wisely, could actually help educators write better, more personalized, and more useful recommendation letters than before?

A PERSONAL SHIFT

As a professor, I always took letters of recommendation seriously. I didn’t want to rely on vague platitudes or tired templates with my students’ futures on the line.

The letters I had received as a grad student made a big difference for me. And I wanted to pay that forward with personalized, compelling letters for each of my students.

The problem was time. Collecting résumés and personal statements, understanding the programs or jobs they were applying for, and tracking deadlines all took far too long. Everything was scattered across emails and disorganized folders on my laptop.

It wasn’t sustainable.

I knew other professors who had shortcuts: a bank of boilerplate templates, or asking students to write the first draft themselves to save time. I never felt good about those options.

Then came Reffy.

“It’s easier, faster, and honestly better than anything I was doing before.”

— Justin Latterell, Ph.D.

THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

Reffy changed everything. It gave me a way to write high-quality, personal letters in a fraction of the time, without sacrificing authenticity. The key, for me, is the “Share My Questionnaire” feature.

Here’s how it works: When a student asks me for a recommendation, I send them a private link to a questionnaire that collects everything I need — accomplishments, goals, relevant context, even anecdotes — and organizes it cleanly on my Reffy dashboard.

Once submitted, I get notified and can review the materials, along with optional AI-generated drafts that reflect my writing style, incorporate my insights, and adjust to my preferred endorsement level.

I still edit, personalize, and fine-tune. But now, I start with a solid foundation — their story, in my voice, shaped by our shared experience.

It’s easier, faster, and honestly better than anything I was doing before.

WHY AI LETTERS GO WRONG — AND HOW TO GET THEM RIGHT

The fear that AI will lead to generic, hollow recommendation letters is real — and justified. Most AI tools, when used with vague prompts, generate flat, forgettable prose.

Worse, they can “hallucinate” — filling in the gaps of weak prompts by inventing details that aren’t accurate, which is a serious problem in professional endorsements.

But the problem isn’t AI itself — it’s how it’s used. When recommenders rely on minimal effort or one-size-fits-all inputs, the results show.

Done right, AI can actually help letters become more personal, not less.

A WIN FOR ACCESS AND FAIRNESS

Here’s another important consideration: Tools like Reffy can level the playing field.

In well-resourced schools, students often get tailored support and glowing rec letters. But in under-resourced settings, teachers and counselors are stretched thin.

It’s hard to write detailed letters for dozens of students under time pressure.

Reffy makes it doable. By organizing student input and offering smart support, it helps recommenders do justice to each student’s story — even when time is short.

AI THAT HONORS HUMAN JUDGMENT

The core purpose of a recommendation letter is to offer credible, third-party insight into a person’s competence and character. That hasn’t changed. What’s changing is how educators get there.

With the right tools, we don’t have to choose between quality and efficiency. We can support more students, with more clarity and confidence — and keep the soul of recommendation letters intact.

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