Call for Papers: Prompt Engineering and the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Revolution

121st Annual PAMLA Conference (Palm Springs, CA) on Rhetoric, Composition, and Writing Studies, Nov. 6-10, 2024

Abstract

The AI revolution, driven by large language models and other technologies like Gemini, Claude 2, ChatGPT, DALL-E-3, and Midjourney, radically reshapes writing, communication, and knowledge production. With AI as “co-author,” writers engage in prompt engineering, challenging traditional notions of authorship and calling for rethinking rhetoric, composition, and writing pedagogy. This conference explores the implications of prompt engineering and AI for the field, inviting scholarly work on topics such as changes to the writing process, rhetorical strategies for prompting AI, teaching AI literacy, academic integrity, and ethics, redefining core concepts like argument and style, and leveraging AI for inclusive writing practices. Theoretical, empirical, and hands-on demonstrations of prompt engineering techniques are welcomed.

Session Proposal

The rapid development of large language models and other artificial intelligence (AI) technologies (Gemini, Claude 2, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and the list goes on, including text-to-image generating AI such as Mid journey and DALL-E-3), radically reshapes how we think about writing, communication, and knowledge production. A bunch of parlances such as ‘co-intelligence,’ ‘co-authorship,’ ‘being mentored by AI,’ and ‘collaborating with Gen AI chatbots’ fall within the spectrum of scholarly, academic, and casual conversations around what the Center for Humane Technology calls ‘Alpha Persuasion’ of AI (Mollick, 2024; Center for Humane Technology, 2021). Needless to say, AI affordances range from being curative to generative to innovative. Writers no longer start from a blank page; we now engage in an iterative process of prompt engineering with AI co-authors (Ekin, 2023; Dobrin, 2023; Liu & Chilton, 2022). This calls for fundamentally rethinking rhetoric, composition, and writing pedagogy and practice. This conference explores the implications of prompt engineering and AI for rhetoric, composition, and writing studies. We invite scholarly papers, pedagogical demonstrations, works-in-progress, and other contributions that engage with questions such as:

• How is prompt engineering changing the writing process and our understanding of authorship?
• What rhetorical strategies are involved in effectively prompting AI language models?
• How can we teach prompt engineering and AI literacy in the writing classroom?
• What are the implications of AI for academic integrity, intellectual property, and ethics of writing?
• How is the AI revolution redefining core concepts in our field, like argument, arrangement, and style?
• How can AI language models and other technologies be leveraged for inclusive and antiracist writing practices?

We welcome theoretical and philosophical explorations and empirical studies related to these themes. We are also interested in the conference style, sharing hands-on expertise on prompt engineering to learn prompt engineering techniques.

Please submit a 300-word abstract and a brief bio. The accepted presenter will be notified on time.

We look forward to an exciting exchange of ideas around this timely, kairotic, and ground-breaking topic!

References:

Center for Humane Technology (Aug 17, 2021). Persuasive Technology.

https://www.humanetech.com/youth/persuasive-technology

Dobrin, S. (2023). AI & Writing. Broadview Press.

Ekin, S. (2023). Prompt engineering for ChatGPT: a quick guide to techniques, tips, and best-

practices. Authorea Preprints.

Liu, V., & Chilton, L. B. (2022, April). Design guidelines for prompt engineering text-to-image

generative models. In Proceedings of the 2022 CHI Conference on Human Factors in

Computing Systems (pp. 1-23).

Mollick, E. (2024). Co-Intelligence. Penguin Random House.