Preparing language educators for the GenAI-embedded world: Keeping things ‘real’ in a world of ‘illusion’

Since the public release of ChatGPT in November 2022, there has been intense wonder, surprise, excitement, concern, and worry about the capabilities of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools and their rapid adoption into our personal and professional practices. When well-prompted, these tools can efficiently and (often) accurately perform many tasks commonly associated with human intelligence, including generating human-like texts. GenAI tools are clearly powerful and offer the potential to support language teachers in achieving their pedagogical goals. However, they have limitations, can be misused, and have created ethical issues and real-world impacts.

In this talk, we will explore how language teachers can use GenAI tools to enhance their professional practices and support them in achieving their pedagogical goals. We will also examine some of the critical questions associated with their development. Fundamental to our exploration will be the central role of language teachers in helping learners navigate what is ‘real’ and what is ‘illusion’ in the GenAI-embedded world.