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What ChatGPT means for linguistic diversity and language learning
Yojana Sharma
While students delight in writing essays using artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT, hoping to save time and effort, experts in linguistics warn that widespread use of ChatGPT around the world could reduce linguistic as well as stylistic diversity.
Some have noted that once ChatGPT and other AI-assisted tools are more widely used in education, the gap between the languages where such tools work well and those where it does not will become larger, and in some scenarios create a new global educational and digital divide based on language.
In particular, as AI-assisted writing takes hold in some parts of the world, in other parts of the world – such as some Asian countries with complex writing systems – students could be left behind if AI companies do not swifty develop other language versions of ChatGPT.
Jieun Kiaer, a professor of linguistics at the University of Oxford, warns that tools such as ChatGPT could reinforce the global dominance of English. “ChatGPT is most effective in English and so it is not well suited to becoming a local platform in all countries. Other regions will be developing their own AI technology,” she quotes ChatGPT as responding at one point.
Kiaer is against banning tools like ChatGPT in schools and universities but believes AI developers, teachers and policy-makers need to work together to work out how best to use such tools in education and research.
Select the correct alternative in regards to language structure (the language forms are in bold type and underlined in the text).