There’s a growing divide—and opportunity—between those who build AI tools and those who communicate how, why, and for whom they should be used. As artificial intelligence becomes more embedded in professional workflows, technical communicators are increasingly asked to operate within AI-enhanced environments. But how do we ensure they’re not just reacting to these changes but actively shaping them?
This question is at the heart of a new course that will be offered at Mercer University in Summer 2026: TCO 667: Managing AI and Text Analytics, taught by Dr. Bremen Vance. The course doesn’t just introduce AI as a tool—it explores its role as a collaborator in the communication process, especially where text, data, and design intersect.
Technical Communication and AI: Why the Gap Needs Bridging
Let’s be clear: technical communicators don’t need to become data scientists. But they do need to understand enough about how tools like natural language processing (NLP), machine learning, and text analytics work to do what they’ve always done best—translate complex systems into clear, actionable information.
In this course, students explore:
- How AI tools are being used to produce, organize, and interpret text and multimedia content.
- Use cases where AI assists with documentation, analysis, and information design.
- Ethical and regulatory concerns, including issues of bias, accessibility, and authorship.
- The evolving role of the technical communicator in AI-enhanced environments.
The course is hands-on, forward-looking, and grounded in critical thinking about the real implications of using AI in professional contexts.
A Field in Transition
This work also connects with a forthcoming edited collection I’m co-editing with Dr. Vance, titled AI in Technical Communication: Emerging Technologies and Pedagogies (currently under review with Routledge). The volume brings together scholars and practitioners to reflect on how AI is reshaping the field—through content creation, workflow automation, and shifting conceptions of authorship and expertise.
We’re not just asking, “How does AI help us work faster?”
We’re also asking, “How does it change what we consider communication in the first place?”
Why the Gap Matters
Too often, AI systems are developed without input from those who specialize in communication—and conversely, communicators are being asked to work with these tools without adequate understanding of how they function.
That’s the gap this course and this collection aim to bridge.
We need more technical communicators who can critically engage with AI—not just as users, but as advocates, evaluators, and ethical stewards. And we need developers who see communicators as collaborators in designing systems that are usable, inclusive, and transparent.
Looking Ahead
The goal isn’t to make technical communicators into something they’re not—it’s to deepen their fluency in the tools and systems reshaping their work. Communicators who understand AI’s capabilities and constraints will be better equipped to shape how it’s used responsibly, creatively, and ethically.
If you’re a technical communicator, content strategist, or UX professional, now is the time to build your AI literacy. Learn how these systems work. Ask critical questions. Design workflows that use AI without compromising human-centered values.
The field is changing. We should be changing it with intention.