Artificial intelligence (AI) has experienced rapid growth in recent years, presenting both an opportunity and a challenge for learning. On November 1, the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute (OLBI), led by French as a Second Language Professor Martine Rhéaume, held a webinar on AI in the service of language teaching and learning.
Challenges and Opportunities
The use of AI in education can be an invaluable asset for effective learning. According to Rhéaume, AI literacy fosters the development of critical thinking and helps students become responsible digital citizens. This would enable students to make informed decisions and participate securely and ethically in an increasingly digital world.
Data shared during the presentation indicated that 75% of professionals already use AI in their work, with 46% having started using it only six months ago. Acquiring AI literacy skills would therefore boost employability, as 68% of surveyed executives reportedly said they would not hire candidates lacking these skills.
However, excessive reliance on AI could lead to “digital amnesia,” as highlighted in the OLBI presentation. Users may become dependent on AI and “cognitively lazy,” delegating tasks to digital tools. This could result in a loss of important cognitive skills.
According to OLBI’s presentation, a significant challenge remains in education: the difficulty of integrating AI tools that teachers can effectively use. The French as a Second Language professor noted that some teachers are hesitant to incorporate these tools into their classes. On one hand, teachers fear that AI could take over and replace traditional teaching, and on the other, they worry that students might use AI tools to complete their assignments, creating an additional risk for academic integrity.
An Ethical Consideration
In addition to these risks and opportunities, there are ethical considerations regarding the use of AI tools. During the webinar, it was emphasized that it is essential to ensure the protection of privacy and personal data. When users employ AI tools, it is crucial to avoid sharing sensitive information.
According to the OLBI webinar, it’s also important to properly cite all sources used in written work, including references in the bibliography and appendices to “prompts used” when using AI tools, such as chatbots, to clarify the origin of ideas. The presentation also highlighted the importance of verifying data obtained through AI: using AI should mean recognizing potential biases in the generated responses.
An Academic Perspective
The use of AI tools is not limited to language education and learning, Rhéaume’s area of expertise. AI is widespread across various fields. Jan Claudius Völkel, a political science professor at the University of Ottawa, shared with La Rotonde that he views AI as a rich opportunity that should be used as effectively as possible.
He believes that AI opens “new worlds,” stimulating new ways of thinking. However, he also sees a potential danger in AI dominating human thought, with users simply regurgitating information obtained from AI. This would represent, in his view, a significant loss in the ability to think critically and construct knowledge. According to Völkel, if society allows AI tools to dictate information rapidly, it risks losing an essential skill.
For now, Völkel uses AI only to better understand its structure and functioning. He does this to better judge the accuracy of work submitted by his students. He sees this as the greatest challenge posed by AI, especially in the social sciences, where well-thought-out writing supported by human reflection is required.
In a constantly evolving world with rapid advances in AI, it is therefore essential to use it with moderation and ensure that human reflection is not lost, concludes the political science professor.
