Towards a Cyborg Rhetoric: How Generative AIs Are Reframing Specialized Discourse

This article explores how generative artificial intelligences require a reframing of both our thought processes (Stiegler 2014) and our writing practices. The widespread adoption of tools such as ChatGPT raises critical questions about linguistic standardization, stylistic flattening, and the recursive nature of AI-generated discourse. By comparing original scientific texts with their AI-rewritten counterparts, the paper traces a stylistic shift towards a generic, AI-driven lingua franca. As an alternative, I propose the notion of “specialized cyborg discourse”. Drawing on Donna Haraway’s notion of the cyborg, I argue that writing with AI produces hybrid texts that overturn human/non-human dualism, while also carrying the political potential to reclaim agency. Ultimately, I seek to spark a conversation on the use of those specialized cyborg texts in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) teaching/learning.