The Future of Writing Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence : Exploring the Value of Writing through the Lens of the Film Her

Abstract

This study aims to examine the necessity of writing education in the age of artificial intelligence (AI) and to explore its future directions. To this end, the study analyzes key scenes from the film Her, which portrays emotional interactions between humans and AI, and identifies the unique values of human writing that cannot be replicated by artificial intelligence from three distinct perspectives. In the film, the protagonist Theodore’s writing emerges as a reflective practice that integrates emotion and cognition based on lived experience, memory, and temporality. In contrast, Samantha, an AI operating system, demonstrates the inherent limitations of AI-generated language, as her responses remain grounded in data-driven and instantaneous processing rather than genuine existential experience. This contrast reveals that human-centered writing is deeply connected to distinctly human cognitive activities, such as the sharing of embodied emotions, the formation of identity, and the recognition of complex social relationships. Based on this analysis, the study proposes three educational directions for writing education in the AI era: empathetic writing, reflective writing, and social writing. By moving beyond discussions centered on the efficiency and convenience of AI technologies, this study reexamines the essence of human writing and suggests practical implications for applying human-centered writing education within the context of university general education.