Artificial Intelligence and the English Language: The Impact of Generative Models on Written Discourse, Style, and Linguistic Competence

This article examines the multifaceted impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on contemporary English written communication, with particular attention to generative models such as ChatGPT and other large language models (LLMs). The analysis centers on written discourse, addressing stylistic formation, textual categories, genre conventions, and the redefinition of linguistic competence within digital contexts. Drawing on discourse analysis, stylistics, and sociolinguistics, the research demonstrates that AI technologies, functioning as both medium and mode of communication, are transforming textual conventions, challenging traditional notions of authorship, and blurring the distinction between human and machine discourse. The central argument asserts that AI operates not only as an autonomous agent in linguistic evolution – generating texts through specific algorithms – but also as a crucial driver of linguistic standardization. This process produces texts lacking human nuance, fosters stylistic and genre hybridization, and contributes to the emergence of a homogenized global form of English. Ultimately, LLMs signify a shift from individual to distributed cognition and from socially determined genre conventions to probabilistic constructions shaped by user input and computational recombination. The study concludes that heightened critical awareness of these developments is vital for preserving linguistic diversity and promoting interpretive literacy in an era increasingly shaped by algorithmic text production.