Jamie Littlefield PhD Student / Instructor - Technical Communication & Rhetoric

Jamie Littlefield is a technical communication researcher and practitioner studying how generative AI is reshaping technical communication and expanding the role of technical communicators. Her research engages the rhetorical, ethical, and material dimensions of AI technologies, focusing on how communicators contribute to AI development, governance, and public understanding. Drawing on industry experience training AI language models for xAI, Jamie investigates how human judgment in AI data annotation embeds values, ethical frameworks, rhetorical assumptions, and shared social imaginaries into AI systems. More broadly, she studies how technical communication mediates the social impact of AI, from shaping user experiences to influencing trust and accessibility. 

In parallel, Jamie explores how AI-mediated communication practices influence the design, perception, and governance of urban environments, including housing, streets, and public spaces. Her professional background includes serving as a Google Fiber Digital Inclusion Fellow and working as a strategic digital content developer for a New York Times company, where she gained experience in designing communication systems to foster community engagement and information access. Across domains, Jamie's research bridges theory and practice to reveal the often-unseen rhetorical "ghost work" behind contemporary technologies. 

Research interests: technical communication, generative AI, place, public writing

Visit her personal website: linktr.ee/jamielittlefield

Teaching

English 2311 - Introduction to Technical Writing, Texas Tech University 

English 1010 - Introduction to Writing, Utah Valley University 

Publications

Stochastic Publics: The Emergence and Ethics of AI-Generated Publics in Technical Communication. 2025. Journal of Business and Technical Communication, 39(1), 26-41.  

From Tactical Technical Communication to Strategic Infrastructuring: The Role of User Enfranchisement in a Rogue Street Design Manual. Communication Design Quarterly. Forthcoming.  

Composing New Urban Futures: Speculative Design and AI Text-to-Image Synthesis. In N. Ranade & D. Eyman (Eds.), Composing with AI. Computers and Composition Digital Press. Forthcoming. 

Show Me Who You Think I Am: Linguistic Alignment and Consent in AI Large Language Models. College English. Forthcoming.  

Presentations

Tactical Urbanism Meets Tactical Technical Communication: How Placemaking Advocates Communicate Alternative Futures. Computers & Writing Conference. May 2025. 

Aesthetic Remix in Technical Communication: How the YIMBY (Yes-In-My-Backyard) Movement Remixes Aesthetics to Advocate for More Inclusive Urban Spaces. Conference on College Composition and Communication. Baltimore, MD. April 2025. 

Preparing Technical Communication Students for Careers in AI Large Language Model Fine-Tuning. Artificial Intelligence and Teaching Technical Communication Conference. Virtual. March 2025. 

Composing Abundant Futures: Custom AI Bots as Catalysts for Civic Imagination. Digital Praxis Poster Session, Conference on College Composition and Communication. Spokane, WA. April 2024. 

How Writers Can Use AI Image Generation Tools for Speculative Design. Computers & Writing Conference. Davis, CA. June 2023.  

Using Rhetorical Invention to Reimagine Public Streetscapes. Applied Rhetoric Collaborative, Applied Rhetoric Symposium. Provo, UT. June 2022. 

Co-Authoring the Next Story in Technical Communication. Association of Teachers of Technical Communication (ATTW) Conference. Online. Panel with Dr. Erica Stone. June 2022.