Writing Faculty Push for the Right to Refuse AI

"Unsubstantiated claims about how generative AI increases productivity underpinned the resolution, the resolution said, including the technology's corrosive implications for data privacy, labor rights, academic freedom, the environment and the critical thinking skills humans develop through the process of writing."

"The work of college writing instruction should be attentive to industry trends-among many other external factors-but not driven by the goal of workforce preparation through a narrow focus on specific technological skills. As a profession, rhetoric, composition, and writing studies is committed to preparing students to write in a world that is bigger than just work."

"This is an academic freedom issue, and students and teachers should be able to make a choice. That's something that's being denied when people say things like, 'You just have to use it,' 'It's here to stay' or 'Students need to be able to use it.'"

The Conference on College Composition and Communication, the world's largest professional organization of writing educators, passed a resolution rejecting the inevitability of generative AI adoption in classrooms. The resolution affirms the rights of students and faculty to refuse using generative AI in writing instruction. The organization challenges unsubstantiated claims about AI's productivity benefits and raises concerns about data privacy, labor rights, academic freedom, environmental impact, and erosion of critical thinking skills developed through writing. The resolution emphasizes that writing education serves broader purposes beyond workforce preparation, including helping students navigate uncertainty, access resources, connect with others, build community, and engage in civic participation. The CCCC frames this as an academic freedom issue, asserting that students and teachers should have the choice to opt out of AI use rather than facing pressure to adopt it.

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