Contemplative Literacy in the Age of GenAI: Embodied Reading, Empathy, and the Limits of Detection
Christian Smith
CEA Critic July 1, 2026 DOI: 10.1353/cea.2026.a994419 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Students enrolled during the 2025 Fall Semester, including first-year and upper-level students |
| Intervention | Contemplative literacy practices |
| Duration | 2025 Fall Semester |
| Key findings | First-year students demonstrated greater accuracy at detecting AI-generated texts, while upper-level students showed significantly stronger investment in the value of human authorship. The author presents this as a paradox between embodied reading practices and GenAI detection and argues that educators should reconsider the role of reading and human authorship in writing instruction. |
Abstract
Abstract: This study examines how contemplative literacy practices inform student attitudes toward AI-generated texts and explores the paradoxical relationship between embodied reading and GenAI detection. As generative AI becomes increasingly integrated into writing instruction, educators face fundamental questions about the value of human authorship and the role of reading in a post-literate landscape. Drawing on contemplative pedagogy frameworks and theories of powerful literacy, the research presented here, conducted during the 2025 Fall Semester, investigates whether students can distinguish between human and GenAI-authored texts and how their disciplinary training shapes their attitudes toward the labor value of literacy. The results were perhaps surprising: first-year students demonstrated superior GenAI detection accuracy while upper-level students showed significantly stronger investment in human authorship value.