All GenAI are AI, but not all AI are GenAI.

Why would you want AI in your classroom?

In the article (Ouyang, F. & Jiao, P. (2021). Artificial intelligence in education: The three paradigms. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 2, 1-6.) authors propose 3 ways of interaction between learner and AI: AI-directed when AI represent knowledge models and directing learner; AI-supported when they are in a collaborative relationship and AI supports learning; and AI-empowered when the learner in a leader position and AI empowers leaner. I agree with the authors who specify that it is prevalent to think only about AI integration in the educational process and forget that it has to go further than that as using AI in teaching and learning practices is not only for making things faster or more convenient for teachers’ timeline or students cognitive load, AI can be used on the higher level of interaction contributing to the development of novel and personalised learning.

How can AI help tackle the language barriers in education?

AI can be beneficial when you need to create a personalised learning plan or consider the accessibility of learning materials, for example, translating materials to another language. Personalised learning with the help of AI can support tailoring teaching materials to many different needs, including language, and make it accessible or more tempting for students to work on the assignments and proceed with tasks. However, we will still have human-to-human interactions where we must accept diversity and foster inclusion when working in teams using other ways to connect, bond, and understand each other.

There are also other benefits to allowing AI or GenAI into the teaching and learning process:

• Assistive Technologies that help with speech-to-text and the other way around;
• AI can be used as an alternative for language tutors, and can be very helpful in multilanguage classes;
• Course content localization might be done with AI help as well;
• Real-time translation and subtitling are already integrated into many collaboration software tools, like Team Meeting from Microsoft, for example.

Still, there are a lot of things AI cannot help with, even though it thinks it can. Cultural diversity, sensitive and nuanced topics we sometimes have to uncover when we work closely with others in the team, and emotional intelligence are still in the human domain and responsibility. We shall not forget that despite how tempting it can be to delegate tasks to AI, a human touch is needed to raise and nurture the best in us as people, colleagues, and creative selves. AI can sit in our tool-box, but it shall not replace our minds and be confused for our own thinking.