Post-Generative Indications for a post-generative time

Concept proposal · adjective  ·  post-generative

Post-Generative

Benedikt BrünnerMartin EbnerSandra SchönKajetan HoffmannChristian OrtnerPhilipp Leitner

Educational Technology, Graz University of Technology, Austria

Everyday life permeated by generative AI.

Post-generative describes a societal condition in which generative artificial intelligence permeates everyday life. It shapes how people work, learn, communicate, design and produce knowledge. Its outputs enter the information, tools and environments we encounter every day, affecting even those who do not consciously use it. [1] Human and machine contributions become intertwined and increasingly difficult to distinguish. AI outputs are increasingly adopted or passed on without people reviewing them individually. The volume and speed of generation can overwhelm human oversight. At the same time, new dependencies emerge: whoever controls AI systems shapes access to knowledge and participation. Drawing on the idea of the post-digital [2], the post-generative describes a world already transformed by generative AI, whose possibilities, expectations and conflicts it helps to shape.

Term history /

On 9 October 2026, the author team Brünner, Ebner et al. introduced the term to put the condition they perceive into words. While searching for a term, we found it already in use with a different meaning: in Kyoto in 2025 as ポスト生成AI共生社会 (“Post-Generative AI Inclusive Society”). [3] [4]

Generative AI permeates society. Human and machine contributions become intertwined. Education, Science, Work & Economy, Politics, State & Law, Arts & Creativity, Media & Public Sphere, Religion & Identity, Private Life & Health.
Generative AI permeates society · Human and machine contributions become intertwined. · CC BY 4.0

Adoption

EU 2025: 32.7 % of people aged 16–74 used GenAI in the previous three months. [5] More than 70 % of the ChatGPT messages analysed in 2025 were unrelated to work. [6]

Twelve indications of a post-generative present

All indications →

The poster supports the term with twelve findings from education, science, software development, politics, the arts and religion. Each indication shows one facet of the post-generative present and has its own page in the archive.

  1. 01 Student life changes. No. 001

    Nagler, Mayr et al. (2026): over 14,000 incoming TU Graz students, 2011-2025. More AI and tablets, less Wikipedia and open source. Digital sovereignty becomes a challenge. [7] MIT (2026) issues a call to action: only 25 % of surveyed students feel well prepared for AI. [8]

  2. 02 Understanding matters. No. 002

    The Association for Human Mathematics criticises OpenAI’s AI-generated mathematical results. Heise reported on the conflict over human understanding and scientific norms. Contextualising and checking matter more than mere generation. [9]

  3. 03 Evidence of learning changes. No. 003

    FHWien / Kroop (2026): an experimental approach to master’s theses centres on process, traceable decisions and verifiable artefacts. Academically convincing text alone becomes a less reliable sign of understanding. [10] Process and accountability matter more.

  4. 04 Apps need only an idea. No. 004

    Meyer (2025): a proteomics web app from four prompts, reportedly in under ten minutes. [11] Wang et al. (2026): a brachytherapy inventory app in about 13 hours and 115 prompts. Case examples, no general guarantee. [12]

  5. 05 Software can be generated. No. 005

    Artcraft: a developer uses AI to build open-source Adobe alternatives. Still an early alpha with missing and broken features. derStandard.at reports on emerging possibilities in software development. [13]

  6. 06 Review cannot keep pace. No. 006

    Torvalds (2026): a flood of duplicate AI security reports; he calls for real understanding. [14] Stenberg (2026): overload even from better reports. [15] Kalz (2024): an AI-generated textbook reuses passages; the publisher sees no plagiarism. [16] The human in the loop becomes a bottleneck.

  7. 07 Software on the fly. No. 007

    OpenAI’s Intelligent UI [17] already generates interactive calculators, games and interfaces right within a conversation: tools emerge at the moment of need but can create new dependencies. Our thesis: everyday life is increasingly situated co-generated.

  8. 08 AI joins the cabinet. No. 008

    Since 2025, Albania has used the virtual minister “Diella” for public procurement. ORF reports investigations against its operators, a constitutional challenge and a lawsuit by the actress whose face and voice were used. [18]

  9. 09 AI helps with knowledge reviews. No. 009

    Wagner et al. (2026) describe AI-assisted literature reviews: summarising, extracting and answering questions. Their methods paper discusses opportunities and risks for scholarly knowledge work. [19] Critical review becomes a key skill.

  10. 10 Creatives push back. No. 010

    Creative Bloq reports protests from the Blender community against OpenAI’s advertising. The artist whose work appears in the advert voices outrage. Generation reshapes disputes over creative work. [20]

  11. 11 The Church draws lines. No. 011

    According to media reports, Pope Leo XIV warned the priests of his Diocese of Rome against having AI write their sermons. AI cannot pass on faith, he said, and thinking, too, needs exercise. [21]

  12. 12 AI develops AI. No. 012

    Chan et al. (2026) ask whether automated AI research could trigger an intelligence explosion. The Cambridge paper describes a possible acceleration mechanism and its risks. A future scenario, no proof of present ubiquity. [22]

Read on

Many more recent findings and personal statements

Downloads

Version: 9 October 2026 · DOI: 10.3217/5yw6c-40a39
Poster (German, PDF)PostGenerativ-A3-DE.pdf · A3 · doi:10.3217/2me8v-szr50 Poster (English, PDF)Post-Generative-A3-EN.pdf · A3 · doi:10.3217/5yw6c-40a39 Full references (PDF)Sources.pdf · EN · doi:10.3217/5yw6c-40a39 Vollständige Quellen (PDF)Quellen.pdf · DE · doi:10.3217/2me8v-szr50

Sources [1]–[22]

  1. [1] Liang, Weixin; Zhang, Yaohui; Codreanu, Mihai; Wang, Jiayu; Cao, Hancheng; Zou, James (2025): The widespread adoption of large language model-assisted writing across society. Patterns, 6(12), 101366. Online 2 October 2025. Preprint: arXiv:2502.09747. doi.org/10.1016/j.patter.2025.101366 · doi:10.1016/j.patter.2025.101366
  2. [2] Cramer, Florian (2014): What Is ‘Post-Digital’?. A Peer-Reviewed Journal About, 3(1), 10-24. aprja.net/article/view/116068 · doi:10.7146/aprja.v3i1.116068
  3. [3] Kyoto University, Graduate School of Informatics (2025): ポスト生成AI共生社会の展望〜集中、分散、そして第三の道〜. Japanese announcement of 5 September 2025; symposium on 8 October 2025. www.i.kyoto-u.ac.jp/topics/2193
  4. [4] Kyoto University, Institute for the Future of Human Society (2025): IFOHS Prof. Uchida to Join Symposium on “Prospects for a Post-Generative AI Inclusive Society: Centralization, Decentralization, and a Third Way”. English event news, 8 October 2025. ifohs.kyoto-u.ac.jp/en/archives/36827
  5. [5] Eurostat (2025): 32.7% of EU people used generative AI tools in 2025. EU survey on ICT usage in households and by individuals; published 16 December 2025. Dataset isoc_ai_iaiu. ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/w/ddn-20251216-3
  6. [6] Chatterji, Aaron; Cunningham, Thomas; Deming, David J.; Hitzig, Zoe; Ong, Christopher; Shan, Carl Yan; Wadman, Kevin (2025): How People Use ChatGPT. NBER Working Paper 34255, September 2025. www.nber.org/papers/w34255 · doi:10.3386/w34255
  7. [7] Nagler, W.; Mayr, B.; Ebner, M.; Schön, S.; Bruenner, B. (2026): Digital Equipment Evolution and IT Activity of TU Graz study beginners (2011-2025): Challenges of Tablet and AI Dominance for University Digital-Sovereignty Initiatives. Proceedings of EdMedia 2026 Edinburgh, pp. 119-129. AACE, Waynesville, NC. www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/2129631/
  8. [8] Klopfer, Eric; Madden, Sam (Co-Chairs); MIT Ad Hoc Committee on AI Use in Teaching, Learning, and Research Training (2026): AI and Education: Report of MIT’s Ad Hoc Committee on AI Use in Teaching, Learning, and Research Training. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, final report, 13 August 2026. aiandeducation.mit.edu/report/
  9. [9] Holland, Martin (2026): „Haben nicht darum gebeten“: Scharfe Kritik an OpenAI aus der Mathematik. heise online, 8 October 2026. www.heise.de/news/KI-generierte-Mathematikloesungen-Scharfe-Kritik-am-Vorgehen-von-OpenAI-11480767.html
  10. [10] FHWien der WKW (2026): Mehr Prozess, weniger Seiten: Masterarbeiten im KI-Zeitalter neu gestalten. Campus blog & news, 10 July 2026. www.fh-wien.ac.at/news/mehr-prozess-weniger-seiten-masterarbeiten-im-ki-zeitalter-neu-gestalten/ · doi:10.1007/978-3-032-28570-6_19
  11. [11] Meyer, Jesse G. (2025): Rapid Development of Omics Data Analysis Applications through Vibe Coding. arXiv:2510.09804, version 1, 10 October 2025. arxiv.org/abs/2510.09804 · doi:10.48550/arXiv.2510.09804
  12. [12] Wang, Tonghe; Beaudry, Joel; Damato, Antonio L.; Kollmeier, Marisa; Aramburu Núñez, David (2026): AI-assisted software development for brachytherapy seed inventory management. Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics, 27(9), e70795. 9 September 2026. aapm.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/acm2.70795 · doi:10.1002/acm2.70795
  13. [13] Proschofsky, Andreas (2026): Von Adobe genervter Entwickler baut Photoshop, Premiere und Co mit KI als Open Source nach. derStandard.at, 8 October 2026. www.derstandard.at/story/3000000343256/von-adobe-genervter-entwickler-baut-photoshop-premiere-und-co-mit-ki-als-open-source-nach
  14. [14] Torvalds, Linus (2026): Linux 7.1-rc4. Linux Kernel Mailing List, 17 May 2026. lkml.org/lkml/2026/5/17/896
  15. [15] Stenberg, Daniel (2026): High-Quality Chaos. Blog of the curl founder and maintainer, 22 April 2026. daniel.haxx.se/blog/2026/04/22/high-quality-chaos/
  16. [16] Kalz, Marco (2024): A plagiarised edtech book and nobody cares. Personal blog (kalz.cc), 8 March 2024. kalz.cc/2024/03/08/a-plagiarised-edtech-book-and-nobody-cares/
  17. [17] OpenAI (2026): GPT-6 und Intelligent UI für alle. Product announcement, 7 October 2026. openai.com/de-DE/index/gpt-6-for-everyone/
  18. [18] ORF.at (2026): Korruption in Albanien: Fehlgeleitete KI-Ministerin vor Gericht. ORF.at, 26 May 2026. orf.at/stories/3431001/
  19. [19] Wagner, Gerit; Prester, Julian; Mousavi, Reza; Lukyanenko, Roman; Paré, Guy (2026): Generative Artificial Intelligence for Literature Reviews. Journal of Information Technology, 02683962261425675. Also arXiv:2605.16475, 15 May 2026. arxiv.org/abs/2605.16475 · doi:10.1177/02683962261425675
  20. [20] Creative Bloq (2026): OpenAI's controversial ChatGPT-6 Astra advert paints a sad vision of the future. Creative Bloq, 6 September 2026. www.creativebloq.com/ai/even-just-the-advert-for-chatgpt-6-astra-is-creating-controversy
  21. [21] Erzdiözese Wien (2026): Papst Leo XIV.: Priester sollen Predigten nicht von KI schreiben lassen. erzdioezese-wien.at, 20 February 2026. www.erzdioezese-wien.at/portal/archiv/article/136314.html
  22. [22] Chan, Alan; Winter, Christoph; Barto, Andrew; et al. (2026): What if automating AI R&D triggers an intelligence explosion?. Cambridge Programme on AI Science & Policy, University of Cambridge. casp.ac/reports/intelligence-explosion