Metafiction as An Approach for Imaging AI Writing: A Case Study on Works by Dung Kai-cheung, Lo Yi-chin, and Chen Qiufan

Journal of Integrated Cultural Studies

JICS   Vol. 1, No. 1, 2026, pp.21-32.

Print ISSN: 3105-840X; Online ISSN: 3105-8418

Journal homepage: https://www.icsjournal.com

DOI：Https://doi.org/10.64058/JICS.26.1.03

元小说作为想象人工智能写作的方法：以董启章、骆以军、陈楸帆的作品为例

董安（Dong An）

摘要：生成式人工智能的普及，已经引发了人类作家对自身写作困境和存在焦虑的反思和探索。本文认为，元小说的特征之一便是通过有意识地书写小说创作的过程以呈现小说的虚构性，这种叙事技巧恰好成为想象人工智能写作的一种可能途径。本文分析了三位不同文化背景的华语作家近年的小说作品：董启章通过对写作机器的想象探讨了后人类时代意识融合的思辨；骆以军借助科幻情节和自我指涉文本反思了人与“物”之间的复杂关系；陈楸帆不仅实践了人机共创的写作模式，更寻求一种新的创作主体性的建构。三位作家结合元小说和科幻题材的成功经验，回应了当下的文学危机，同时表达了各自对未来文学发展的思考。

关键词：元小说；人工智能写作；意识融合；人－物关系；人机共创

作者简介：董安，香港理工大学中国历史及文化学系研究助理。研究方向：中国现当代文学、香港文学、数字人文。电邮：an-allen.dong@polyu.edu.hk。

Title: Metafiction as An Approach for Imaging AI Writing: A Case Study on Works by Dung Kai-cheung, Lo Yi-chin, and Chen Qiufan

Abstract: With the rise of generative AI, human writers have been prompted to reflect and explore the dilemmas of literary writing and the existential anxieties of themselves. This article argues that, one defining feature of metafiction is its deliberate portrayal of the novel-writing process to reveal fiction's fictional nature, and this narrative skill precisely becomes a potential approach for imagining AI writing. This article analyzes fictional works by three Chinese-language writers from different cultural backgrounds in recent years: Dung Kai-cheung explores speculation on consciousness convergence in the posthuman era through imaginings of writing machine; Lo Yi-chin exploits Sci-Fi plots and self-referential texts to examine the complex relationship between humans and “things”; Chen Qiufan not only practices human-machine collaborative writing but also seeks for constructing a new subjectivity of literary creation. Through their successful integration of metafiction and science fiction, these writers respond to contemporary literary crises while articulating their respective visions for the future of literature.

Keywords: Metafiction; AI writing; consciousness convergence; human-thing relationship; human-machine co-creation

Author Biography: Dong An, Research Assistant at Department of Chinese History and Culture, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Research: modern and contemporary Chinese literature, Hong Kong literature, and digital humanities. E-mail: an-allen.dong@polyu.edu.hk.

 Received: 19 Feb. 2026 / Revised: 27 Mar. 2026 / Accepted: 02 Apr. 2026 / Published online: 30 Apr. 2026 / Print published: 30 May 2026.