Prompt Engineering as Rhetoric, Literary Criticism, and Creative Writing

Kim, Jong-Keyong; Kim, Jong-Keyong

In an epoch where the digital and the humanistic increasingly intertwine, our proposed special session ventures into a compelling discourse on prompt engineering within the realms of rhetoric, literary criticism, and creative writing. Specifically, the session shows an example of humanities interrogation into how the process of prompt writing, critical thinking about the outputs, and fine-tuning the prompts can be transformative to the relationship between prompt engineers and Large Language Models Artificial Intelligence (LLMs AI). This inquiry is not merely timely but imperative, as it coincides with a burgeoning curiosity about the symbiotic relationship between humanity and artificial intelligence—especially in the guise of LLMs like ChatGPT 4.0. As we are moving to another year since ChatGPT was made accessible to the public in November 2022, the humanities beckon us to critically examine and creatively and ethically harness the power of “prompt” and “engineering.” In this vein, this session aims to demystify these concepts, making them accessible and engaging for an audience that may not be intimately familiar with the intricacies of AI, yet appreciates the profound implications of technology on language, literature, and creativity.

Distinct from the explorations of last year’s sessions— “Literature, Language, and Authorship in the Era of ChatGPT” and “Just in Time: Literature and Large Language Models: Where Are We Now?”—, which navigated the landscapes shaped by ChatGPT and its implications for authorship and literary analysis, our session aspires to a more granular and active engagement. Paying particular attention to prompt engineering as theory and praxis, we delve into how deliberately crafted prompts can guide AI to generate outputs that resonate with human intellectual and artistic endeavors. With this respect, we intend to initiate a dialogue that transcends mere observation, engaging directly with the potential of AI to complement and challenge our traditional conceptions of creation, interpretation, and persuasion. At the center of this conversation, we find a potential for reconfiguring the relationship between humans and AI.

Our interdisciplinary approach reveals the multifaceted nature of prompt engineering as it intersects with the art of rhetoric, where the crafting of prompts emerges as a strategic act of persuasion, nudging AI responses toward intended outcomes. This facet explores the potential of language to direct technological processes, reflecting on the age-old human endeavor to shape our narrative environments. For instance, the domain of literary criticism is illuminated by Celia Xu’s collaborative project “Reinterpreting Intertextuality through Prompt Engineering.” Celia’s collaboration unveils a novel vista on intertextuality, showcasing how prompt engineering on GPT 4.0 can offer fresh insights into the interconnectedness of philosophical texts, thereby enriching our analytical palette. When it comes to the sphere of creative writing, Zach Muhlbauer’s “Babylon Redux: The Oulipo Group and Prompt Engineering for Uncreative Writing” translates the generative spirit of the Oulipo group into the digital age, challenging us to reconsider the boundaries of creativity and authorship in the wake of AI’s emergent capabilities. Furthermore, Fatima Zohra’s “Persuading AI to Persuade You – Of Anything: Theorizing Prompt Engineering as Rhetorical Persuasion” invites contemplation on the ethical dimensions of technology’s influence on confirmation biases and the shaping of discourse. Her critical analysis of the sets of prompts serves as a clarion call for responsible engagement with AI, emphasizing the need for a balanced and ethically informed approach to technological interaction.

This session is designed not only to showcase cutting-edge scholarship adopted by Ph.D. students but also to foster a vibrant forum for discussion. By limiting our panel to three thought-provoking presentations, each strictly confined to 15 minutes, we aim to create a dynamic space for dialogue with the audience. Our goal is to stimulate a rich exchange of ideas, encouraging participants to interrogate the intersections of AI with literary and rhetorical practices while reckoning the nature of prompt writing/engineering. We envision this session as a catalyst for lively debate about and insightful inquiry into the loss and gain when human languages are translated to “prompts” and writing/arguing/creating are to “engineering,” inviting attendees to engage with the complexities and opportunities presented by the integration of AI into the humanities.

78 Prompt Engineering as Rhetoric, Literary Criticism, and Creative Writing: Calls for Papers