Dear Corpus-list members,
I would like to draw your attention to a PhD position at the Centre for Language Studies at Radboud University (applications deadline June 9th):
PhD Candidate AI Authenticity Project: Exploring what makes L2 writing sound ‘human’
Are you curious about what makes text 'human'? And do you want to explore linguistic nuances that distinguish human-authored content from AI-generated text? Then join the Graduate School for the Humanities (GSH) as a PhD candidate and explore these questions.
We offer you the opportunity to develop and carry out your own PhD project within the areas of expertise of your supervisors (Prof. Rob Schoonen, Dr. Nathan Vandeweerd and Dr. Iris Hendrickx). The project will be funded by a Starters Grant from the Faculty of Arts awarded to Dr. Nathan Vandeweerd.
As generative AI has dramatically improved over the last few years, it has become more and more difficult for humans to distinguish between AI- and human written text, with studies suggesting that our ability to do so is often no better than chance. Nevertheless, humans do seem to have opinions about what makes a text ’authentic’. For example, texts with grammatical issues or lack of coherence are more likely to be labelled as AI-generated, even when this is not the case (see e.g. Jakesch et al., 2023). The problem for L2 writers is that many of these (presumed AI-identifying) characteristics also occur in second language writing, which means that non-native writers may be unfairly accused of using generative AI, both by other humans and AI-based GPT detection systems (Liang et al., 2023). In addition to being a potential threat to one’s perceived academic integrity (Currie, 2023), perceptions that a text is AI-generated can have quite serious consequences as such texts are seen as less credible (Waddell, 2018), less favourable (Graefe et al., 2016) and less trustworthy (Jakesch et al., 2019).
Building on the framework of AI-mediated communication (Hancock et al., 2020; Jakesch et al., 2019), The AI Authenticity Project aims to investigate the specific linguistic characteristics that underlie our perceptions of authenticity and to unravel which features of L2 texts convey ’human-ness’.
Over the course of the project, you will use a combination of qualitative methods, corpus linguistic techniques and experimental research to investigate both people’s perceptions of authenticity as well as the extent to which those perceptions reflect reality. Based on your own interests and/or expertise, possible areas of focus include (but are by no means limited to) phraseology/word combinations (e.g., Jakesch et al., 2023), syntax and grammar (e.g., Berber Sardinha, 2024) and coherence/tone of voice (e.g., Casal & Kessler, 2023). Whichever direction you choose, this project promises to be a dynamic and exciting opportunity to do ground-breaking research on a topic of major societal relevance.
For more information, see the link below:
https://www.ru.nl/en/working-at/job-opportunities/phd-candidate-ai-authentic...