Negotiating Writer Identity in Second Language Writing with Generative AI Support

Abstract As generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) becomes increasingly integrated into academic writing practices, questions surrounding second language (L2) writer identity require renewed attention. This study investigates how Bangladeshi university students—writing in English as a second language—construct and negotiate their authorial presence in GenAI-mediated environments. Drawing on sociocultural theories of identity, authorship, and language ownership, the research explores the paradoxical role of GenAI—as both a linguistic scaffold and a potential homogeniser of academic discourse. Using classroom-based inquiry, the research analyses student reflective writing from two cohorts (2021, n = 10; 2025, n = 20) alongside reflective interviews ( n = 9). The findings indicate that GenAI can support identity development when students engage critically with its outputs, strategically revise, and reflect on their own rhetorical intentions. However, heavy reliance on AI-generated language may undermine authorial voice and raise ethical concerns about originality and epistemic agency. The study argues for a reconceptualisation of L2 writer identity in AI-mediated writing as hybrid, reflexive, and digitally situated. Pedagogically, it highlights the importance of AI literacy, metacognitive awareness, and assessment practices that recognise the collaborative nature of human-AI writing.