CWC’s research project, titled “Assessing AI Tools for Argumentation in Academic Writing in the Humanities and Social Sciences,” conducted in collaboration with the Mphasis AI & Applied Technology Lab, sought to develop a systematic understanding of how AI tools are being employed in academic writing within the Humanities and Social Sciences. The study was conducted with experiments which involved students writing short argumentative essays (500 words) with and without AI assistance, responding to a curated list of prompts from disciplines such as English, Sociology, Political Science, History, and International Relations. The comparative quantitative and qualitative analysis of the data set was done using parameters which included how effectively the topic and central thesis are introduced, claims and evidence, argument structure and academic style. Our project, by focusing on the chosen parameters and their impact on AI usage, aimed to contribute meaningfully to the evolving discourse on AI’s role in South Asian academia. The comparative analysis of student papers written with and without AI assistance aimed to investigate how students engage with AI in the process of writing, how this affects the argumentative nature of what they produce as the end product, and what lessons can educators and writers learn from this exercise. By examining the depth of engagement with AI-generated content and its impact on the overall quality of writing, the objective here was to identify best practices for leveraging AI as a useful tool for enhancing academic writing skills. Furthermore, this study contributes methodologically by making explicit the manner of data collection and the analytical process.