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On the 27 th of January 2026, we asked the generative AI (GenAI) tool ChatGPT to respond to the prompt, "Why should writing center practitioners be invested in understanding AI?"This was its response:Writing center practitioners should be invested in understanding AI because AI is already reshaping how writers think, draft, revise, and learn-and writing centers sit right at that intersection of process, pedagogy, and ethics.A few key reasons:1. Writers are already using AI (whether we like it or not).Students and faculty are experimenting with tools like ChatGPT for brainstorming, outlining, revising, and even overcoming writer's block.Writing centers need enough AI literacy to have informed, non-judgmental conversations about how these tools are being used-and how they can be used responsibly. AI challengestraditional ideas of authorship and originality.Writing centers have long helped writers negotiate citation, voice, collaboration, and academic integrity.AI complicates all of that.Understanding AI allows tutors to help writers ask better questions like: What counts as my own thinking?How do I represent sources honestly?How do I maintain my voice?3. It directly affects writing pedagogy and process.Writing centers are process-oriented spaces.AI tools can support (or short-circuit) stages like invention, drafting, and revision.Practitioners who understand AI can help writers use it as a scaffold rather than a replacement for learning.4. Equity and access are at stake.AI tools can widen or narrow gaps depending on how they're taught and regulated.Writing centers often serve stu-4 4 Buck and Botvin dents navigating linguistic, cultural, or institutional barriers.Being AI-literate helps practitioners advocate for ethical, inclusive uses rather than blanket bans that may disadvantage some writers.5. Tutors need guidance, not guesswork.Without training, tutors are left to improvise responses to AI use-leading to inconsistency, anxiety, or misinformation.Understanding AI empowers writing centers to develop clear policies, shared language, and tutor training aligned with institutional values.6. Writing centers are uniquely positioned as mediators.Unlike classrooms or disciplinary departments, writing centers are dialogic, low-stakes spaces.They can model critical engagement with AI-helping writers reflect on why and how they use it, not just whether they should.Bottom line: AI isn't just a tech issue; it's a writing issue, a learning issue, and an ethical issue.Writing centers that understand AI can continue doing what they do best: supporting writers as thinkers, not just producers of text.("Why should writing center practitioners") It is impossible not to see the radical
Published in: The WAC Clearinghouse; University Press of Colorado eBooks