DiscourseNet Paper Workshop
Call for Papers
AI and Discourse Studies: Digitalization and Implications for the Knowledge Economy
Organizers: René Foidl (University College of Teacher Education Lower Austria), Jens Maesse (University of Giessen), Marcella Palladino (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia)
The production, validation, and use of knowledge are undergoing profound transformations in the age of Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI tools influence knowledge production in education, research, media, politics, consulting, advertising, and many more areas in everyday life. In addition to that, AI is used to manage entire systems in medicine, traffic management, water supply, electricity industrial production, military and many more. Furthermore, technical innovations accelerate at a breathtaking pace. The assessment of the consequences of these developments range from “productivity enthusiasm”, "emancipatory and developmental optimism” (i.e. medicine etc.) and “fear and reservation”.
From the viewpoints of sociology, political science, discourse studies, linguistics, education studies and political economy, AI is reshaping social life in manyfold respects. Whereas traditional forms of knowledge production are relatively transparent in terms of sources, authorship, and methodology, AI-driven processes increasingly rely on opaque and often untraceable mechanisms.
The shift to AI raises critical questions regarding the attribution of speaker positions, authorship, accountability, and the various criteria by which knowledge is validated. Despite widespread skepticism —particularly among social groups whose cultural capital is rooted in text-based labor (e.g. academics, educators, journalists)— AI is becoming an increasingly pervasive tool across domains of intellectual work. As such, it reconfigures social relations through the mediation of AI-created knowledge itself.
We invite contributions to a two-day online workshop. This online workshop aims to bring together researchers from a range of disciplines —including linguistics, sociology, political economy, and computer science— to engage in interdisciplinary dialogue about the challenges and transformations brought by the digitalization of the knowledge economy.
The contribution proposals will address (but are not limited to) the following topics:
- Linguistic and discourse analysis of AI-generated texts.
- Attribution of authorship, authority, and legitimacy in relation to AI.
- Ethical, legal, and social dimensions of AI accountability.
- Construction and positioning of speakers in AI-mediated discourse.
- Discursive production and validation of truth in digital contexts.
- Misinformation, bias, and manipulation risks associated with AI.
- Applications of AI in education, journalism, academia, and beyond.
- Change in power relations through the devaluation of classical knowledge production.
In addition to that, we invite contributions from all fields of research and disciplines, including:
- Computer science and programming
- Math, Statistics, Physics
- Engineering
- Social Sciences
- Cultural Studies
- Linguistics
- Economics, Political Economy
The abstract as well as the presentation should include the following aspects:
- Research question (e.g. How is the AI xyz providing validity of information?)
- Field of research/research object (e.g. ChatGPT on political discourse in Germany and France compared)
- Short Literature review on the research topic (including non-academic information)
- Results (e.g. “AI draws in most cases a on a conventional linguistic style”)
The presentation should be no longer than fifteen (15) minutes. At the end of the workshop participants will be given time to finalize their contribution for a Special Issue in an international journal or volume edited by the organizers.
The workshop will be held online over two consecutive days on 17/18 June 2027. Active participation in all sessions is expected from all contributors.
Submission Guidelines:
Please submit an abstract of your paper of about 1000 words by 1 February 2027 to the following addresses: rene.foidl@ph-noe.ac.at
Notifications of acceptance will be sent by the end of April 2027.