Gen AI for a generative or a creative generation: A gesture of a materialist orientation to contemporary L2 writing?

Abstract

Background: The rapid emergence of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), particularly tools such as ChatGPT, has reshaped academic writing practices in higher education. While existing studies largely emphasize the pedagogical benefits and efficiency of GenAI-assisted writing, less attention has been paid to how this technology may influence writers’ orientations toward writing, creativity, and human agency, especially in second language (L2) writing contexts.Aims: This study aims to examine the use of GenAI in contemporary L2 academic writing from a philosophical and generational perspective, with particular attention to whether GenAI use reflects a shift toward a materialist orientation that privileges automatic generation over human creativity.Methods: Adopting a conceptual qualitative approach, this study employs philosophical analysis and critical engagement with relevant literature on GenAI in education, L2 writing, and materialist perspectives on technology. The analysis focuses on identifying dominant orientations toward GenAI-assisted writing and interpreting their implications for writers’ creative agency and cognitive engagement at a generational level.Result: The analysis reveals a growing generative orientation among contemporary student writers, characterized by increasing reliance on GenAI for idea and content generation. Three key tendencies are identified: weakening confidence in natural human intelligence, a decline in epistemic creativity, and rising skepticism regarding the authenticity of academic writing. Collectively, these tendencies indicate the emergence of a generative mindset that positions students more as users of automated generation than as creators of knowledge.Conclusion: The study concludes that the widespread adoption of GenAI in L2 writing reflects a broader materialist orientation in academic writing practices, where efficiency and output are prioritized over cognitive and creative processes. Rather than framing GenAI solely as a pedagogical tool, this study highlights the importance of critically situating GenAI within academic writing to ensure that human creativity and intellectual agency remain central to the writing practices of contemporary student generations.

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