Democracy requires the active engagement of the people. Threats to democratic processes highlight the urgency of examining the conditions for teaching about, within and for democracy. Part of educating for democracy is teaching critical literacy, which includes both critical reading and critical writing. Generative AI (GenAI) has made the teaching of writing more important than ever. This is key for all students to become writers who want, own and dare to use writing to participate in a democracy, making their voices heard, being capable of contestation and change.
To learn to write to influence and use the pen or keyboard as a means of expressing power and voice, students need to be taught critical writing. In a theoretical holistic framework for writing and its teaching, writing researcher Ivanič argued that critical writing has connections to power and the political. Those who can write can create and shape information and knowledge. Writing therefore holds power and large responsibility. Writers must adopt a critical perspective on their own text: What am I writing, what do I want to achieve, how do I do it? Managing this, the result can be a powerful message. This means that readers have a responsibility to take a critical stance towards the text, to interpret it and to read into its values. Critical writing is no easy task. Hence, teaching should include how to write with responsibility. Nevertheless, research repeatedly shows that such teaching of writing rarely happens. Teachers receive little help in policy documents, teaching materials and teacher guides on how teaching of socio-political, critical writing might be enacted. In addition to these shortcomings with teaching of writing for democracy, GenAI adds further challenges. In educational contexts, GenAI can help the writer with content and structure as well as produce a linguistically correct text, at least for English and other major languages, where the training of the GenAI has been done on large source materials.
The launch of ChatGPT in late 2022 marked a pivotal point for schools, universities and writing professionals everywhere. Suddenly, anyone with an internet connection and a digital device could access a powerful technology capable of producing written content in seconds. This technological leap has forced educators to rethink not just how students write, but why and for what purposes writing is taught. The changes brought about by GenAI technologies are so significant that some literacy scholars compare them to the invention of the printing press in the 1450s. The implications for literacy practices are immense: Will students still need to master the art and craft of writing, or will GenAI do it for them? What new skills will be required in a world where GenAI technologies can produce essays, stories and reports at the click of a button?
For a while, we have found ourselves in what experts call an “AI summer,” a period of explosive growth, funding and optimism for AI. But despite the excitement, the future of GenAI in education remains uncertain. Over the past three years, teachers and academic leaders have debated how to handle the rise of GenAI, whether to embrace it, restrict it or find a middle ground. Policy documents have been written, revised and discussed at every institutional level. The questions that GenAI technologies raise about ethics, morality and even what it means to be human are more profound than anything schools have faced before. Nowhere is this challenge more evident than for writing.
As we move forward, we recognize that the conversation around writing and GenAI will be one of the most important debates in education.
But what is writing? All writing researchers would agree that writing is complex. It is not just about producing texts or demonstrating linguistic skills. Writing is about so much more. As writing researchers, we recognize the need for a broader understanding on what it means to write, not least in classrooms shaped by new technologies like GenAI. Traditionally, education has been, and still is, focused on the written product: form, correctness and assessment. But to truly prepare students for the future, we must shift our approach. Writing must be seen as a meaningful process, one that helps students communicate, participate in various domains, learn and think. Such writing gives the writer agency and authenticity.
Overarchingly, we suggest that writing and writing education can be understood to include the intended reader, a purpose, knowledge, feedback and practice, as presented in the illustration. And writing happens with one or several technologies (e.g., pen, paper, computer, keyboard, GenAI). Writing matters in students’ lives when they understand the purpose behind their words. When writing has a clear aim, whether it is to inform, persuade or express, it becomes a powerful means for learning and creativity. This sense of purpose can spark inner motivation and unlock creative potential. Equally important is knowing the intended reader. Awareness of and access to readers help students find their unique voice, choose language and style and ensure that their message is understood.
Becoming a confident writer also requires knowledge; not just about language and grammar, but about writing technologies, genres and the writing process, besides the message or knowledge of the subject. Whether working with or without GenAI, students need to understand how writing works and how their own process unfolds. Practice is key: giving and receiving feedback, learning from mistakes and improving through constructive exchanges. These experiences help writers grow, not only in fluency and accuracy, but also in their ability to participate in different contexts and disciplines.
Writing is about developing an identity as a writer, someone who understands their own process and can make meaning in context. It is about participating actively in work and society, daring to share ideas and connecting with others who share theirs. In a world transformed by GenAI, these skills and the confidence to use them are more important than ever. Without them, there is a profound risk of uncritical use of GenAI and rapid loss of citizens’ literacy skills.
As we look to the future, the United Nations and its Member States must recognize that the teaching of writing must be a cornerstone of all levels of education, especially in an era shaped by GenAI, because the ability to write critically, creatively and responsibly empowers individuals to engage in democratic processes, express their perspectives and participate meaningfully in society. While GenAI offers new tools and possibilities, it also raises profound questions about authenticity, agency and the very nature of human communication.
In other words, GenAI has made the teaching of writing more important than ever.