Digital Humanities Hub Report
AI Coffee and Chat Session
Date: 18 March 2026
The Digital Humanities Hub hosted an engaging AI Coffee and Chat session on 18 March 2026, bringing together approximately 40 students and staff members from across the Faculty of Humanities. The session created an informal and intellectually stimulating space for critical conversations around the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in academic contexts.
The featured speaker, Antonnet Nontyi, a PhD candidate in Applied Linguistics and contract lecturer in the Department of Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, led the discussion. Her doctoral research examines the integration of AI in academic writing and its implications for student learning outcomes in higher education.
Antonnet’s presentation, titled “Integrating Artificial Intelligence into Academic Writing: A Case Study of Challenges, Perceptions, and Pedagogies in a Faculty of Humanities,” addressed the rapidly evolving role of generative AI in higher education. Moving beyond dominant concerns with detection and compliance, the session foregrounded how AI use intersects with student learning, particularly in cases where tools are used uncritically or without awareness of their cognitive implications.
The presentation began by outlining persistent challenges students face in developing academic writing skills, before exploring how AI is currently being used—often in ways that risk bypassing critical thinking processes. Antonnet then shifted the discussion towards the intentional and pedagogically sound integration of AI, emphasising the need for approaches that prioritise cognitive engagement, equitable access, and meaningful learning.
Antonnet’s broader research interests also informed the discussion. Her work sits at the intersection of language, technology, and education, with an additional focus on social justice and digital activism. Through analyses of hashtag movements such as #MeToo, #AmINext, and #WhyIStayed, she explores how digital language practices can enable advocacy, accountability, and social change.
The session was highly interactive, with participants raising critical and thought-provoking questions. One recurring theme centred on authorship and agency: “If I prompt it, is it written by me?” This led to an interesting discussion about the differences between prompting AI systems and commissioning work from another person, with participants cautioning against simplistic equivalences. Another key concern highlighted a perceived tension in academic practice, where lecturers may use AI for tasks such as lesson preparation while discouraging or restricting student use. This prompted reflection on the need for clearer, more consistent frameworks that balance ethical use, pedagogical value, and fairness.
Overall, the session highlighted the urgency of developing contextually grounded, critically informed approaches to AI in higher education.
By Dr Johannes Sibeko (Vice-President of DHASA)