IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication Jun 2026

Mapping AI Literacy Expectations in Technical and Professional Communication: Evidence From 137 AI-Referenced Job Postings

Shijie Liu Shanghai Maritime University ; Jianfen Chen Towson University

Abstract

<bold xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><i>Background:</i></b> This exploratory study examines the emerging requirements of artificial-intelligence (AI) literacies reflected in technical and professional communication (TPC) job postings and provides empirical insights into how employers articulate these literacies in hiring practices. <bold xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><i>Literature review:</i></b> We situate this study within the existing scholarship regarding job postings analysis in TPC, AI in TPC, and AI literacy. <bold xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><i>Research questions:</i></b> How do employers reference AI literacy in TPC job postings? How are AI literacy dimensions distributed across the TPC job description domains? <bold xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><i>Methodology:</i></b> We collected job postings published between March 1 and June 10, 2025, across ten major online recruitment platforms, focusing on US-based positions that fall into six TPC job categories that explicitly referenced AI. This process yielded 137 eligible postings for analysis. Employing a multistage and mixed-method design for data analysis, we coded AI literacies using the AI literacy framework and coded the job descriptions using the four TPC job description domains. <bold xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><i>Results:</i></b> Our quantitative findings show growing integration of AI literacy into TPC roles, with uneven emphasis on specific AI literacy dimensions across TPC positions. Employers prioritize practical applications of AI tools, while ethical considerations receive little attention. Our topical modeling analysis also indicates that AI literacy is an integrative skill and functions as an embedded capability in TPC jobs. <bold xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><i>Conclusion:</i></b> This study has significant implications for TPC educators. AI literacy should be taught as an integrative skill that augments human expertise. TPC programs should embed AI instruction across the curriculum while continuing to emphasize the core competencies essential to professional communication.

Journal
IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
Published
2026-06-01
DOI
10.1109/tpc.2026.3685842
CompPile
Open Access
Closed
Topics
professional writing literacy studies
Export
BibTeX RIS

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (0)

No articles in this index cite this work.

References (38) · 16 in this index

  1. Brynjolfsson (2025)
    Canaries in the coal mine Six facts about the recent employment effects of artificial int…
  2. 10.1093/nsr/nwaf050
     ↗
  3. Allen (2025)
    How AI is changing the way we communicate: The future of interaction
  4. 10.1080/17512786.2025.2545448
     ↗
  5. 10.1016/j.techfore.2024.123327
     ↗
Show all 38 →
  1. 10.46324/pmp2403309
     ↗
  2. Mussack (2021)
    Introduction to technical and professional communication
  3. 10.1109/procomm57838.2023.00006
     ↗
  4. Hillen (2024)
    Exploring Artificial Intelligence Tool Use in a Nonprofit Workplace
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  5. Deptula et al. (2025)
    Rhetorics of Authenticity: Ethics, Ethos, and Artificial Intelligence
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  6. Bjork (2025)
    Extractive Artificial Intelligence and Its Challenge to Technical Communication
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  7. Carradini (2024)
    On the Current Moment in AI: Introduction to Special Issue on Effects of Artifi…
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  8. Ranade et al. (2024)
    Teaching AI Ethics in Technical and Professional Communication: A Systematic Review
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  9. 10.1109/procomm64814.2025.00025
     ↗
  10. Cardon et al. (2024)
    Competencies Needed by Business Professionals in the AI Age: Character and Comm…
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  11. 10.4324/9781003288008
     ↗
  12. Cardon et al. (2023)
    The Challenges and Opportunities of AI-Assisted Writing: Developing AI Literacy…
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  13. 10.1016/j.caeai.2021.100041
     ↗
  14. Brumberger (2015)
    The evolution of technical communication: An analysis of industry job postings
    Tech. Commun.
  15. Lauer (2016)
    Technical communication as user experience in a broadening industry landscape
    Tech. Commun.
  16. Brumberger et al. (2020)
    A Day in the Life: Personas of Professional Communicators at Work
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  17. Lanier (2009)
    Analysis of the skills called for by technical communication employers in recruitment postings
    Tech. Commun.
  18. Getto et al. (2025)
    UX Research, Management, and Design: What a Textual Analysis of UX Job Ads Mean…
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  19. 10.1007/s00146-024-01905-3
     ↗
  20. Getto et al. (2026)
    How to Write With GenAI: A Framework for Using Generative AI to Automate Writin…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  21. 10.55177/tc148396
     ↗
  22. 10.4324/9781315197692-7
     ↗
  23. Johnson-Eilola et al. (2024)
    Can Artificial Intelligence Robots Write Effective Instructions?
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  24. Mallette (2024)
    Preparing Future Technical Editors for an Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Workplace
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  25. Piller (2025)
    Inhuman Rhetoric: Generative AI and Crisis Communication
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  26. 10.1145/3313831.3376727
     ↗
  27. 10.1016/j.caeo.2024.100171
     ↗
  28. Carliner (2012)
    The three approaches to professionalization in technical communication
    Tech. Commun.
  29. Johnson-Eilola (1996)
    Relocating the Value of Work: Technical Communication in a Post-Industrial Age
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  30. Verhulsdonck et al. (2021)
    Investigating the Impact of Design Thinking, Content Strategy, and Artificial I…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  31. Tham (2023)
    Instructional Design Pedagogy in Technical and Professional Communication
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  32. 10.1177/001316446002000104
     ↗
  33. Blei (2003)
    Latent Dirichlet allocation
    J. Mach. Learn. Res.
CrossRef global citation count: 0 View in citation network → Build reading path →

Related Articles

  1. Journal of Response to Writing Apr 2026
    Feedback Menus: Expanding Student Choice in Response to Writing ↗
    Testa, Andrew
    first-year composition writing pedagogy teacher development revision professional writing literacy studies editorial matter
  2. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly Feb 2026
    Feedback-Only AI for Writing Instruction: A Constrained-Generative Tool That Preserves Authorship ↗
    Heidi Schultz
    rhetorical criticism writing pedagogy revision professional writing artificial intelligence literacy studies
  3. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly Jan 2026
    Business Communication as Cultural Text: The Use of Student-Made Online Advertisements in Teaching Intercultural Communicative Competence ↗
    Saheeh Shafi
    writing pedagogy teacher development professional writing online writing instruction literacy studies
  4. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly Dec 2025
    From Chatbot to Classroom: Developing Critical Thinking and Evaluative Judgment With AI ↗
    Daneshwar Sharma; Shiva Kakkar; Ashima Agrawal
    writing pedagogy service learning argument professional writing artificial intelligence literacy studies
  5. Pedagogy Oct 2025
    Contributors ↗
    modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism genre theory cultural rhetorics first-year composition writing pedagogy advanced composition creative writing writing across the curriculum graduate education two-year college service learning teacher development technical communication professional writing labor and working conditions archival research multimodality artificial intelligence literacy studies race and writing gender and writing disability studies literary studies editorial matter