Cover of the 2025 Proceedings of the Annual Computers and Writing Conference

What's "Critical" about "Critical AI"? A Recommitment to Humanistic Inquiry in the Ostensible March to Hyper-Automation

The #cwcon25 Proceedings are here, and I'm grateful for the inclusion of my keynote, "What's 'Critical' about 'Critical AI'? A Recommitment to Humanistic Inquiry in the Ostensible March to Hyper-Automation."

Thank you to the editors and peer reviewers for making this Proceedings possible!

What’s “Critical” About Critical AI? Or, Why I’m Still Not Convinced We Should Be Teaching Students to Use LLM Chatbots I must admit that I have

New blog post: What’s “Critical” About Critical AI? Or, Why I’m Still Not Convinced We Should Be Teaching Students to Use LLM Chatbots

This is based on an excerpt from my #cwcon25 keynote, where I discuss the rhetoric of "criticality" in AI discourse.

refusinggenai.wordpress.com/2025/05/29/w...

I am so honored to share that I was selected to be the recipient of this year's Hugh Burns Dissertation Award at #CWCon25. Thank you to the selection committee and my dissertation committee for their support of this work. Can't wait to see everyone next year at #CWCon26!

#cwcon25

#cwcon25 Session F-
Ashley Beardsley shows us how Junior League cookbooks operate as memory texts
Jason Palmer is working to craft a definition of ‘AI Rhetoric’ (different from rhetoric of AI or rhetoric with AI)
Antonio Hamilton considers the role of invention for genAI composing.

Anyone interested in joining me for an editing roundtable proposal for #4C26? Sara West is in, too! We have no other details yet but should move quickly since proposals are due in a few weeks. Also tagging #cwcon and #cwcon25 in case!

Refusing Generative AI in Writing Studies Visit the post for more.

#cwcon25 morning keynote from MSU alum Jen Sano-Franchini, talking about AI, data centers, and critical interface analysis. Will be talking about refusal.blog which is a great resource for folks who take a critical stance toward genAI.

Still thinking about the incredible Narrating Generative AI Refusal panel I watched at #cwcon25 yesterday. Like wow. What an awesome group of scholars doing such critical work in the social and material consequences of AI use.

Have a digital project you're thinking about turning into a born-digital book? Want to learn more about publishing with us? Join editors @ambuck.bsky.social and Crystal Van Kooten today at 3:15 in MLC 253 for our CCDP office hours session. #cwcon25

#cwcon25
Session E
Adrienne Raw - weaponized incompetence as mobile game ad strategy. (This time really not about DnD). Ads often show the player failing at easy tasks (so viewer says ‘I could do better’)

Yep - I posted too soon! DnD system but in a new environment/context. And now I have a bunch of new media to find time to watch! #cwcon25

#cwcon25
Session E
Alex Mashny and Adam Strantz: platform decay traced through online fan communities on Reddit

So actually not DnD - it’s the dimension 20 “Burrow’s End” season #cwcon25

#cwcon25
Session E
Mandy Moore: distributed cognition in D&D, analyzing ‘actual plays’ as texts
1/4

#Editing a journal is more than selecting and proofing texts. It is ensuring that the journal adequately and accurately reflects the [diverse] populations of the journal's contributors and readers.

#cwcon #cwcon25 "Promoting Author Agency and Creativity in a Digital Community Engagement Journal"

#cwcon25 Session D -
Madison Bradburn: discourse analysis of fan communities being polarized through arguments about shipping (pro- and anti-).
JA Siegel: deep dive into transmaxxing - the idea that incels should just give up being men as they will have access to personal gain by transitioning.

#cwcon25 Session C -
Lora Anderson: provides framework for designing prompting assignments and considering AI as a collaborator
Chenxing Xie: shares genAI supported website audit assignment
2/2

#cwcon25 Session C -
Christa Albrecht-Crane: had students record a think-aloud protocol while prompting genAI and coded/analyzed the transcripts
Yeqing Kong: described an algorithmic audit assignment; notes 2023 Algorithmic Accountability Act
1/2

#Writing is thinking. If we outsource writing because of #AI, are we outsourcing thinking as well? - Tham

#cwcon #cwcon25

Does #AI really save time in #writing, or does it ADD tasks to our lists of to-dos because of its instigation of extra editing and consideration of how well it has conveyed our ideas? Are we diminishing writing quality by eliminating human deliberations over content and style? - Tham
#cwcon #cwcon25

TODAY at 4:45, I'm chairing & presenting on a #cwcon25 panel on #agency & #writing about place through #digitaltechnologies such as #googlemymaps and #socialmedia. I'll be Zooming in from the great state of CT, but join my fabulous co-panelists in person in Room 147!

#cwcon

What does it mean to be an #author in the era of #AI? If AI is used to #write or #edit part or all of a piece, can humans really claim full #authorship?

#cwcon #cwcon25 "#Authorship in the #AgeofAI: Defining #AuthorialIdentity, #Legitimacy, and #Embodiment"

This image is a screenshot of a PowerPoint slide that outlines my presentation title “tracing the content creators” along with some screenshots of Climate Defiance” social media posts

#cwcon25 presentation went great! Talked about digital-material rhetorics, consequentially, climate activism, and social media. Fun panel about content creators and algorithms.

#Writing is, and should be, an #embodied process, involving emotion, deliberation over #writingcraft, physical sensations of #composition and typing, etc. #AI cannot experience those aspects and cannot be considered a true #author.

#cwcon #cwcon25 "#Authorship in the #AgeofAI"

#AI and #writingevaluation apps often strip #writing of distinctive style and voice/tonal elements of the #writers' works. It is imperative that we use these tools in careful moderation.

#cwcon #cwcon25 "Platformed #Agency: Challenges and Opportunities with #DigitalTools"

Attending #CWcon25? Looking for something to do bright and early tomorrow? I’ll be presenting remotely at 9:00am with @banvillemorgan.bsky.social and @emilygresb.bsky.social on “Politics of Compliance: Redefining Perceived Agency in ‘Wellness.’” We hope to see you there!

C&W 2025 Computers & Writing Conference 2025 Mining Language: Rethinking Agency in the Age of LLMs By Vee Lawson Friday May 16, 2025 / 04:45 PM - 06:00 PM Powered By Whova

Excited to be part of this panel at #CWCon25! I'll be talking about LLMs, argument bots on social media, and invitational rhetoric 🤖🦋💬

Looking forward to presenting I Like to Buy or Receive Cookbooks Because _________: Junior League Cookbooks’ Role in Circulating Place-Based Agency at Computers & Writing Conference in May! #CWCon25