AI is turning language education on its head, as Large Language Models touch on its very foundation, i.e. learning to communicate effectively. Is that foundation now under threat? What future scenarios do we see for language education in the AI era?
That’s the million-dollar question and the theme of the workshop that Linguapolis organised on 4 September, in collaboration with colleagues from the language centres of the universities of Tilburg and Groningen. The three institutes brought their experts together, who looked into their crystal ball and explored what language education might look like in 15 years under the influence of AI.
Led by Katrien Dewaele (UCLL), we explored this question using the methodology of scenario planning. This approach helps anticipate an unpredictable future and make well-considered choices, while also offering a valuable framework for dialogue about the future.
We set to work and came up with the following valuable insights, which we plan to build on to shape the future in a well-thought-out manner:
- AI is here and it’s here to stay, but language education will also remain a permanent fixture at our universities. Learning a (foreign) language offers not only knowledge and skills, but also a generous dose of culture and insight into other worlds.
- Today – and in the future – language learning takes place in blended form. Our task is to strike the optimal balance between collective learning under the guidance of a language teacher and an AI-supported individual learning process. To quote Katrien Dewaele: combine the strength of the teacher with the power of technology, as that is where the magic happens.
- AI comes in many forms, and the temptation to use its applications for communication in every language is strong. Often, the results are excellent, but you don’t actually get any smarter yourself (sometimes quite the opposite; Katrien Dewaele speaks of ‘the illusion of language proficiency’). And where’s the real joy of learning? In short: challenge yourself, learn a (new) language and train your brain!
