GenAI – Page 5 – Panta Rhei Enterprise

Humans vs. AI: The real difference

What is the difference between humans and AI? You are wondering … So was I …

In July of this year, I gave a keynote presentation at JALTCALL under the title “Language Learning with GenAI: Bridging the gap or burning the bridge.”

JALT is the Japanese Language Teacher Association, and JALTCALL is its large special interest group – I believe they have between 200 and 300 members in the interest group – in computer-assisted language learning. JALTCALL organizes its own annual conference in addition to the annual conference of JALT.

Glenn Stockwell gave the other keynote; and we both talked about the impact of generative AI on language education. And by the way, in 2024 Joel Tetrault gave one of the keynotes — also on AI.

Chris_Fry_Barcelona https://youtu.be/HBx7PMh0uNQ

So far so good … I knew the keynote had been recorded and was available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2ZIUrn3VbM. Thank you, JALTCALL. Greatly appreciated. And then, a couple of days ago, I was looking at a bunch of things – again on the topic of GenAI and mainly language education – and I came across the Humans vs. AI. Again on YouTube. And then I saw my name in the text below that video. Chris Fry in collaboration with a GenAI tool – NotebookLM – created a summarized version of my talk. Both are now on YouTube.

A talk about GenAI, now summarized and generated by GenAI. If you had mentioned this a few years ago, I’d have said: “Really???”

I will admit that I am flattered. And it is puzzling at the same time.

Decide for yourself – Human vs. AI – which one do you like better … and then feel free to let me know. Fair warning: at 6:13 minutes, the AI is so much quicker.

GenAI and the future of language teaching

A prediction about the future of language teaching when GenAI is rapidly evolving? That’s tough.

Predictions are difficult, especially about the future. Usually Niels Bohr is credited with this bonmot. Apparently, it was the Danish politician Karl Kristian Steincke who said it first: Det er vanskeligt at spå, især når det gælder fremtiden.

We are more trying to explore how language teachers can begin to shape the future of language teaching with GenAI.

A little while ago, I wrote an article with Phil Hubbard on “AI and the future of language teaching – Motivating sustained integrated professional development (SIPD)” for the International Journal of Computer Assisted Language Learning and Teaching. I am copying this grand title for this blog post. The article is published as ‘open access’, which means you don’t need a subscription to read it at https://www.igi-global.com/gateway/article/full-text-html/378304.

You are hereby cordially invited to participate in the following webinar organized by the Foreign Languages Department of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Poster of the TUMS APPLIED LINGUISTICS WEBINAR SERIES II (Session XXVIIi) — Webinar: What is sustained integrated professional development for Generative AI? Monday, 29 September, 2025 @ 7am (Pacific time) https://www.skyroom.online/ch/tums2/international-college

This article will be the basis for the free webinar (poster above) on Monday, September 29, 2025, at 7:00 in the morning (I will get up early and have my coffee before then.). 7am Pacific – 10am Eastern – 3pm British – 4pm Central European – 5:30pm Iran – 11pm Japan.

I will also follow up on the topic with some notes in this blog.

GenAI and language learning

It feels like the chatter about AI (as they say, when most people mean generative AI only) seems to be as vast as the ocean … And that is a good thing; we are dealing with a complex rapidly moving challenge-cum-opportunity.

Recently, I wrote about 7 lessons from 70 years in the context of AI. These blogposts were early drafts of a book chapter that has now come out:

Yijen Wang, Antonie Alm, and Gilbert Dizon (Eds.) (2025). Insights into AI and Language Teaching and Learning. Castledown.

And my chapter “ICALL and AI: Seven lessons from seventy years” is available as open access until December 31, 2025: https://castledown.online/reference/9781763711600-02/

Enjoy this book chapter and the many other chapters of that book. And let me know what you think …