As technical communicators, we’re no strangers to automation. We’ve been using templates, macros, content management systems, and structured authoring tools for decades. But generative AI—tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini—introduces a new kind of automation. One that doesn’t just speed up the work, but attempts to write it for us.
The challenge is no longer just can we use AI in our work. It’s how we use it in ways that are ethical, transparent, and aligned with our values as communicators. That’s what my new article with Susan Kelley and Bremen Vance in The Journal of Technical Writing and Communication is about.
📄 How to Write With GenAI: A Framework for Using Generative AI to Automate Writing Tasks in Technical Communication
Read the article here
A Framework for Generative AI in Technical Communication
In the article, I introduce a framework for using generative AI to assist—not replace—technical communicators. The framework outlines five writing tasks that GenAI tools can support:
- Ideating – Prompting AI for topic ideas or outlines
- Drafting – Generating content for revision, not publication
- Revising – Improving clarity, tone, or conciseness
- Formatting – Converting content into structured formats
- Translating – Localizing or rephrasing for different audiences
Each task includes guidance on how to remain in control of the writing process—so you don’t surrender your voice or your accountability to a machine.
Writing With AI, Not Just About It
Much of the conversation around GenAI in our field has centered on hype, fear, or resistance. Those responses are understandable—but they don’t move us forward. What we need now are practical, reflective frameworks that help technical communicators make informed decisions.
This article is one attempt to provide that.
It’s about acknowledging the reality that many of us are being asked—explicitly or implicitly—to integrate GenAI tools into our workflows. And it’s about reclaiming our agency in the face of that pressure.
Who Is Responsible for What the Machine Writes?
Another central focus of the piece is the question of authorship and accountability. When a chatbot generates a section of documentation, who’s responsible for its accuracy? For its accessibility? For its tone?
As I argue in the article, we have to assume that we are. Even if we use GenAI as a writing partner, we’re still the ones signing off on the final product. That means we need to develop not just technical fluency with these tools, but ethical fluency as well.
Want to Learn More?
The full article explores:
- Real-world use cases of GenAI in technical communication
- A model for aligning GenAI tasks with writing goals
- A discussion of ethical considerations and accountability
It’s written for practitioners, educators, and students alike—anyone who’s trying to figure out what GenAI actually means for the work we do every day.
Cite the Article
Getto, G, Kelley, S, & Vance, B. (2025). How to write with GenAI: A framework for using generative AI to automate writing tasks in technical communication. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/00472816251332208