Cover not available

Article published In: Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) and Writing for Scholarly Publication
Edited by A. Mehdi Riazi
[Journal of English for Research Publication Purposes 6:2] 2025
► pp. 316–339

Get fulltext from our e-platform
JBE logo with link
EPUB logo with download linkDownload EPUB
authorization required

AI-as-affect

Multilingual scholars’ feelings about writing with generative AI

 | Hamad Bin Khalifa University
 | Hamad Bin Khalifa University
Published online: 12 March 2026
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/jerpp.00037.hil
Abstract
In English-dominant academia, multilingual scholars often contend with tensions between achieving global visibility through English-language publishing and sustaining local scholarly communities. The emergence of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) introduces new possibilities for managing these pressures while also generating complex emotional and ethical dilemmas. Drawing on poststructural theories of emotion and affect, this study conceptualizes GenAI-as-affect, framing generative AI not merely as a tool but as an affective force that produces and mediates scholars’ emotional engagements with academic writing. Based on qualitative interviews and reflexive thematic analysis with 18 multilingual Arab scholars at a research-intensive university in Qatar, the findings reveal three interrelated affective atmospheres shaped by GenAI: (1) empowerment and increased confidence through linguistic support and productivity gains, (2) anxiety, ambivalence, and ethical unease surrounding authorship, originality, and credibility, and (3) frustration over GenAI’s uneven performance across languages, alongside cautious optimism about its potential for translation and cross-linguistic connection. Together, these findings show how affect, ethics, and technology intersect in everyday scholarly writing, shaping multilingual scholars’ experiences of institutional pressure, linguistic hierarchy, and professional identity. By foregrounding affect, this study advances a holistic understanding of academic writing as a socio-emotional-technical practice in AI-mediated contexts.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Poststructuralist approaches to emotion, affect, and AI-as-affect
  • 3.Literature review
    • 3.1Systemic pressures and emotional strain in multilingual academic publishing
    • 3.2Emotions and affect surrounding generative AI in scholarly writing
  • 4.Methodology
    • 4.1Participants, context, and sampling
    • 4.2Data collection and data analysis
  • 5.Findings
    • 5.1Empowerment and confidence: An atmosphere of capability and fluency
    • 5.2Anxiety, ambivalence, and ethical tensions: An atmosphere of unease and precarity
    • 5.3Linguistic inequities and opportunities: An uneven affective terrain
  • 6.Discussion
  • 7.Conclusion
  • References
References (41)
References
Abusalim, A. (2021). ERPP practices in the Arab world: One language, different problems. Journal of English for Research Publication Purposes, 2(2), 143–171. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ahmed, S. (2004). The cultural politics of emotion. Edinburgh University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Alkaabi, H. O. K., Alahmed, A. A. M. S., & Alali, A. M. A. (2025). Hidden linguistic discrimination in international academic publishing: ESL scholars’ experiences with major journals. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Comprehensive Research, 4(1), 29–36. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Amano, T., Ramírez-Castañeda, V., Berdejo-Espinola, V., Ling, N., Stanley, C. E., Zhao, Q., Wilman, E. N., & Sutherland, W. J. (2023). The manifold costs of being a non-native English speaker in science. PLOS Biology, 21(7), e3002184. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Attewell, S. (2023, August 15). Student perceptions of generative AI [Report]. Jisc. [URL]
Beare, Z. C., & Stenberg, S. J. (2020). “Everyone thinks it’s just me”: Exploring the emotional dimensions of seeking publication. College English, 83(2), 103–126. [URL].
Benesch, S. (2017). Emotions and English language teaching: Exploring teachers’ emotion labor. Routledge. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bowker, L. (2025). Multilingual scholarly publishing and artificial intelligence translation tools: Weighing social justice and climate justice. Journal of Electronic Publishing, 28(2), 7–27. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). Thematic analysis: A practical guide. SAGE Publications.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Chan, C. K. Y. (2024). Exploring the factors of “AI guilt” among students — Are you guilty of using AI in your homework? arXiv. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Clance, P. R., & Imes, S. A. (1978). The impostor phenomenon in high achieving women: Dynamics and therapeutic intervention. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research & Practice, 15(3), 241–247. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Curry, M. J., & Lillis, T. M. (2014). Strategies and tactics in academic knowledge production by multilingual scholars. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 22(32), 1–28. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Curry, M. J., & Lillis, T. (2019). Unpacking the lore on multilingual scholars publishing in English: A discussion paper. Publications, 7(2), Article 27, 1–14. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Du, C., & Yang, Y. (2025). Doctoral students’ use of generative AI and their engagement in English for research publication purposes writing: An activity theory perspective. System, 1341, 103828. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Elgamri, A., Mohammed, Z., El-Rhazi, K., Shahrouri, M., Ahram, M., Al-Abbas, A., & Silverman, H. (2023). Challenges facing Arab researchers in conducting and publishing scientific research: A qualitative interview study. Research Ethics, 20(2), 331–362. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Farangi, M. R., Nejadghanbar, H., & Hu, G. (2024). Use of generative AI in research: Ethical considerations and emotional experiences. Ethics & Behavior. Advance online publication. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Flowerdew, J. (2008). Scholarly writers who use English as an Additional Language: What can Goffman’s “Stigma” tell us? Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 7(2), 77–86. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Gabbiadini, A., Ognibene, D., Baldissarri, C., & Manfredi, A. (2025). The emotional impact of generative AI: Negative emotions and perception of threat. Behaviour & Information Technology, 44(4), 676–693. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Hamad Bin Khalifa University. (2024). Faculty promotion procedure. [URL]
Hanafi, S. (2011). University systems in the Arab East: Publish globally and perish locally vs. publish locally and perish globally. Current Sociology, 59(3), 291–309. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Hanauer, D. I., & Englander, K. (2011). Quantifying the burden of writing research articles in a second language: Data from Mexican scientists. Written Communication, 28(4), 403–416. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Hillman, S. (2025). Speaking back to AI (and ourselves): Generative epistemic (in)justice in intercultural communication education. In F. Dervin & H. R’boul (Eds.), Who’s afraid of AI? Intercultural aspirations, frictions and fantasies. Routledge. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Hultgren, A. K. (2019). English as the language for academic publication: On equity, disadvantage and ‘non-nativeness’ as a red herring. Publications, 7(2), Article 31. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Keranen, N., Encinas, F., & Bazerman, C. (2012). Immersed in the game of science: Beliefs, emotions, and strategies of NNES scientists who regularly publish in English. In C. Bazerman et al. (Eds.), International Advances in Writing Research: Cultures, Places, Measures (pp. 388–402). Fort Collins, CO: The WAC Clearinghouse. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kim, J., Lee, S.-S., Detrick, R., Wang, J., & Li, N. (2025). Students-Generative AI interaction patterns and its impact on academic writing. Journal of Computing in Higher Education. Advance online publication. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lee, H., & Lee, K. (2013). Publish (in international indexed journals) or perish: Neoliberal ideology in a Korean university. Language Policy, 12(3), 215–230. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). slop. Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. [URL]
Moorhouse, B. L., Wan, Y., Wu, C., Wu, M., & Ho, T. Y. (2025). Generative AI tools and empowerment in L2 academic writing. System, 1331, 103779. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Phillipson, R. (2013). Linguistic imperialism continued. Routledge. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Planning and Statistics Authority. (2024). Third Qatar national development strategy 2024–2030. [URL]
Ramírez-Castañeda, V. (2020). Disadvantages in preparing and publishing scientific papers caused by the dominance of the English language in science: The case of Colombian researchers in biological sciences. PLOS ONE, 15(9), e0238372. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Sah, P. K., Kc, M., & De Costa, P. I. (2025). Considering emotions as entanglements in applied linguistics. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 35(3), 959–964. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Shahjahan, R. A., & Zembylas, M. (2025). Theorizing clock time-as-affect in the decolonization of higher education. Studies in Higher Education. Advance online publication. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Shehata, A. M. K., & Eldakar, M. A. M. (2018). Publishing research in the international context: An analysis of Egyptian social sciences scholars’ academic writing behaviour. Electronic Library, 36(5), 910–924. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Shen, Y., & Guo, H. (2024). “I feel AI is neither too good nor too bad”: Unveiling Chinese EFL teachers’ perceived emotions in generative AI-mediated L2 classes. Computers in Human Behavior, 1611, 108429. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Solovova, O., Santos, J. V., & Veríssimo, J. (2018). Publish in English or perish in Portuguese: Struggles and constraints on the semiperiphery. Publications, 6(2), Article 25, 1–14. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Stockemer, D., & Wigginton, M. J. (2019). Publishing in English or another language: An inclusive study of scholars’ language publication preferences in the natural, social and interdisciplinary sciences. Scientometrics, 118(2), 645–652. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Wang, C., Xu, W., & Tan, X. (2025). Advanced multi-lingual writers’ self-directed use of generative AI in academic writing: Rethinking writing, authorship, and learning. Applied Linguistics, 001, 1–18. Advance online publication. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Xin, Z., & Derakhshan, A. (2025). From excitement to anxiety: Exploring English as a foreign language learners’ emotional experiences in the artificial intelligence-powered classrooms. European Journal of Education, 60(1), 1–12. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Yin, H., Wang, C., & Liu, Z. (2024). Unleashing pre-service language teachers’ productivity with generative AI: Emotions, appraisal and coping strategies. Computers in Human Behavior, 1611, 108417. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Zembylas, M. (2003). Emotions and teacher identity: A poststructural perspective. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 9(3), 213–238. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mobile Menu Logo with link to supplementary files background Layer 1 prag Twitter_Logo_Blue