Human-AI Collaboration in Digital Storytelling: A Case Study

With the evolution of emerging technology, Generative AI has introduced new opportunities and challenges in digital storytelling. The human-AI collaboration—symbiotic learning—can potentially empower learners to design digital narratives through effective multimodal semiotic orchestration. However, few studies have comprehensively examined the human-AI interaction in the creation process. Therefore, to fill this void, this qualitative research explores how Generative AI’s affordances enhance design practices in digital storytelling, what challenges arise during the integration, and why learners choose to incorporate Generative AI into their digital storytelling projects. Eleven B1-B2-level English majors participated in this 16-week digital storytelling course. This study includes multiple data sources, including semi-structured interviews, digital storytelling videos, and reflections, to capture a comprehensive understanding of the process and product of creating digital narratives. Content analysis was conducted to identify and examine themes emerging in the symbiotic learning process. Also, to analyze students’ products, transpositional grammar (Cope & Kalantzis, 2024) was employed to analyze the form and functions of meaning in students’ digital narratives. Three themes emerged from the data analysis: (1) Role transformation in digital storytelling with GenAI, (2) Development of transpositional grammar in digital storytelling with GenAI, and (3) Emergence of agency in digital storytelling supported by GenAI. The results indicated that, first, the integration of Generative AI facilitates a shift in learners’ roles from passive consumers to active prosumers. Next, learners effectively utilize Generative AI to refine semiotic resources, improving the persuasiveness and professionalism of their digital narratives through enhanced images and narration. Lastly, the results indicated that Generative AI promotes learner agency, facilitates personalized learning experiences, and boosts learners’ confidence in making meaning from digital narratives. The pedagogical implications of enhancing multiliteracy education are discussed, including the teacher’s role and learners’ responsible use of Generative AI in the educational setting.