From the archive: AI won’t solve your language learning problems

I won’t say I’m an expert at identifying AI-generated content in creative works, images or videos. With AI becoming increasingly sophisticated, my ability to distinguish what is written by AI is still limited. But, as someone who regularly writes and reads, I often can tell when something was generated by AI. I’m well aware of AI’s limitations, particularly when it comes to nuanced tasks like translation.

For some purposes, AI can be helpful. A friend uses AI to practice Spanish, slowly and accurately written out. Another friend, a seasoned teacher, relies on AI to cut down on lesson planning. This Tzotzil language teacher from Chiapas has a notable pupil: ChatGPT. Occasionally, AI can serve as a thesaurus: “What’s a better word for ‘throb’ that doesn’t sound weird and sexual?”

While AI may occasionally fabricate non-existent sources, most people aren’t overly concerned. However, the environmental impact of the power-hungry data centers required for AI is a serious issue. We may only take action once it’s too late or if people think it’s a reasonable sacrifice for convenience. My relationship with AI hasn’t been entirely positive, and I’m relieved that Mexico hasn’t embraced it as quickly as the U.S. I feel defensive about this “service” that we never voted for and uses our data to “learn.”

As OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who created ChatGPT, I must admit that AI “might” end up destroying humanity, but they “have to” move forward. Do they have to? I prefer sticking to the old methods of looking up words on thesaurus.com. The endless retraining loop seems overwhelming. When people mention using AI to learn Spanish, I feel a bit resentful.

My instinct is primarily selfish: many skills I’ve acquired while living in Mexico, which help me survive economically, are at risk of being replaced by AI. I’m still a writer, but writing doesn’t pay the bills. Teaching English paid the bills for a while, but that job has vanished as well. Currently, I’m an audio description writer, a job I adore.

However, I’m aware that AI may soon take that away too. How many more times will a person need to retrain while managing all aspects of life? With predictions suggesting AI could potentially replace workers in front of a computer, the situation may become dire. For now, I’m holding on as best as I can.