AI-Powered Genre-Based Writing Assignments for Intermediate and Advanced Russian Learners

The integration of AI into language education has been a subject of growing interest among researchers and educators, but the adoption of even basic AI tools in the classroom has been slow and cautious (Vogt & Flindt, 2023). Most available research on integrating AI tools to improve L2 writing proficiency focuses on services that provide automated written corrective feedback (e.g., Tran, 2024; Wiboolyasarin et al., 2024). In contrast, this report explores the possible implementation of AI tools as teacher-facing systems (Baker & Smith, 2019), that is, how language instructors can use ChatGPT and Gemini to lower their workload in class preparation and provide feedback. In this article we demonstrate how AI-powered activities can be integrated into genre-based writing instruction in L2 Russian intermediate and advanced classrooms and reflect on the benefits to L2 writing and teachers' efficient class preparation. The report features three AI-generated model texts followed by the post-writing activities we designed to help students analyze the texts, identify key language features, and apply them to their own writing. We also discuss the challenges we encountered and propose possible pedagogical solutions.