Academic Citizenship in a GenAI-Enhanced World

Sterling, Mark ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2119-592X and Blaj-Ward, Lia (2025) Academic Citizenship in a GenAI-Enhanced World. In: Re-envisioning Academic Citizenship. Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 109-131. ISBN 9781836083610 (Print) ; 9781836083580 (Online) ; 9781836083603 (Epub)

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Abstract

In-person and virtual academic work (the latter fully online or carried out in hybrid mode) have been further transformed by the arrival of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). GenAI has brought both disruption and enhancements to academia and has impacted the way in which universities connect with society beyond their campus gates. This chapter revisits examples of academic citizenship discussed previously in the book, considering how these have been and could be further changed by GenAI. GenAI is viewed in a positive, inclusive way rather than as a threat, and discussion goes beyond digital streamlining of tasks previously described as ‘academic housekeeping’ and likely to be delegated to lower paid and lower prestige roles. The chapter then considers capacity building and policy development to support the enactment of GenAI-enhanced citizenship. The chapter argues that academic citizenship will continue to be central to the functioning of universities in and for society, and that for GenAI-enhanced academic citizenship to impact positively, GenAI integration into academic life needs to be underpinned by an ethics of collective care and continued attention to community. The voices and expertise of all participants in the artificial intelligence ecosystem need to be equitably taken into account as GenAI increases its presence in academia and society, with useful lessons to be learnt from projects of participatory design of artificial intelligence systems in humanitarian contexts.