A Comparative Analysis of the Writing Mechanisms of Generative AI and Humans : Exploring the Theoretical Reconfiguration of Writing Education in the Transitional Era of Digital Literacy

This study analyzes the essential differences between human writing and AI-generated writing in the era of generative artificial intelligence and explores effective directions for writing education based on these distinctions. Human writing functions as a cognitive process that externalizes and internalizes thought. It transforms and expanding knowledge through iterative reflection, In contrast, AI-generated writing produces outcome-oriented outputs based on statistical predictions. In this context, writing education must focus not only on prompt use skills but also developing the learner’s cognitive capacities as an agent of thinking. This is particularly important for question-posing ability, metacognition, schema development, and self-directed learning. Questioning ability is especially important as it enables critical evaluation and reconstruction of AI responses. This process deepens human thought. Based on this problem awareness, this paper proposes the concept of “Critical Prompt Literacy” as an essential framework for guiding writing practices in AI-assisted environments. The paper also presents theoretical foundations and practical strategies for designing writing education that integrates human cognitive processes with generative AI technologies in a complementary and reflective manner.