This presentation explores how English-as-a-second-language (ESL) learners in an English-Medium-Instruction (EMI) context in Hong Kong navigate the complexities of developing their academic voice amidst the increasing reliance on Generative AI (GenAI) tools such as Google Translate, Grammarly, and ChatGPT. Multilingual writers have long faced challenges in asserting their voice within academic discourse, then recent advancements in GenAI provide both support and potential conflict. While GenAI tools are increasingly capable of helping students overcome English barriers in their English academic writing, the tools often produce direct and authoritative voices that clash with the struggling voice expected in student writing. Drawing on Canagarajah's (2004) conceptualization of voice development as a negotiation among historical identities, institutional roles, and ideological subjectivities, this study examines the writing process of students in an Academic English course. Through analysis of student drafts, revisions, and interview data, the study sheds light on how learners reconcile AI-generated language with their own voice, offering insights into the evolving dynamics of voice construction in the age of AI-assisted writing.

Reference Canagarajah, S. (2004). Multilingual writers and the struggle for voice in academic discourse. In A. Pavlenko & A. Blackledge (Eds.), Negotiation of identities in multilingual contexts (pp. 266-289). Multilingual Matters.