Developing Critical AI Literacy in Academic Writing Classrooms

The growth of generative artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the dynamics of academic writing, providing students with new linguistic resources but also posing serious questions about the validity, authorship, and credibility of academic writing. In this study, we explore how critical AI literacy can be meaningfully incorporated within academic writing classes and explore the linguistic, cognitive, and ethical aspects of students’ engagement with AI technology. Employing a mixed-method study that included 50 undergraduates from the Uzhhorod national university, we explore the participants’ initial attitudes and practices, explore key challenges faced in their engagement with AI-produced texts, and examine their abilities to interpret and verify the validity of AI-produced texts. A set of educational interventions, such as text comparison, bias detection, genre-specific validation, and reflective writing exercises, were conducted to enable students to develop critical AI literacy. Results show that students seriously lacked discernment in verifying the authenticity of AI-produced content but immensely improved their abilities after engaging in the educational interventions. The study concludes that critical AI literacy can be effectively included within academic writing classes, teaching students to use AI tools appropriately without undermining the credibility and authenticity of academic writing. Findings also indicate that serious consideration is needed for universities to address the opportunities and challenges posed by AI tools in higher educational contexts.