37.345, Confs: The Language of Artificial Intelligence: Perspectives from Critical Discourse Analysis (United Kingdom)

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-37-345. Mon Jan 26 2026. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 37.345, Confs: The Language of Artificial Intelligence: Perspectives from Critical Discourse Analysis (United Kingdom)

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Date: 23-Jan-2026
From: Matthew Voice [matthew.voice at warwick.ac.uk]
Subject: The Language of Artificial Intelligence: Perspectives from Critical Discourse Analysis


The Language of Artificial Intelligence: Perspectives from Critical
Discourse Analysis

Date: 21-May-2026 - 22-May-2026
Location: University of Warwick, United Kingdom

Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics; Discourse Analysis; General
Linguistics; Sociolinguistics; Text/Corpus Linguistics

Submission Deadline: 27-Feb-2026

Since the public release of ChatGPT in November 2022, generative
artificial intelligence has become a key talking point in academic,
educational, and professional contexts, as well as in broader public
discourse. The capacity for Large Language Models (LLMs) to generate
text and imagery in response to user inputs requires critical
investigation to consider the nature and cultural impact of this new
meaning-making phenomenon: what patterns of language and imagery do
LLMs produce?, and how do such patterns of representation  impact our
knowledge and understanding of social and political issues? At the
same time, generative AI may provide a tool that researchers can
harness to detect patterns of representation or test claims about
semiotic representation. These are important questions that can and
must be addressed within the field of Critical Discourse Analysis.
By their nature, Large Language Models like ChatGPT generate outputs
based on linguistic probability, rather than factual accuracy. The
result is a network of discourse which excels in mimicking
authoritative style, without necessarily being grounded in the same
ontological authenticity. The critical study of these interactions can
explore how users are misled by the language of LLMs and, crucially,
what can be done to support a more informed engagement with this kind
of language and interaction.
This one-and-a-half day symposium will explore these issues across a
series of 20-minute research papers, concluding with a round-table
discussion. Applicants are invited to propose papers on topics
including, but without being limited to:
 - Ideology and bias in AI language
 - Power dynamics in human-AI interaction
 - Discourses about AI in media and public life
 - AI as a tool for teaching and research in Critical Discourse
Analysis
 - Multimodal analysis of AI-generated content
 - Linguistic/cultural diversity, representation, and erasure in AI
outputs
 - The discursive construction of empathy and personality in
AI-generated language
Following the symposium, we aim to publish these papers in an edited
collection that will provide a first of its kind book-length critical
treatment of discourses of artificial intelligence from a linguistic
and multimodal semiotic perspective.
We invite the submission of 300-word abstracts (including title,
references, and keywords) to be sent to Dr Matthew Voice
(matthew.voice at warwick.ac.uk) by Friday 27th February, with decisions
to be returned by Friday 13th March. There is no registration fee and
a small bursary of up to £75 will be available to speakers (one per
paper) in order to offset the cost of travel: please indicate in your
application whether you wish to apply for this subsidy.



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