I am used to the rapid changes in technology resulting in frequent decisions to change tools, migrate from one platform or tool to something else. This is part of the landscape that educators and learning technologists inhabit and, to some extent, it is something we accept. It is the reason for highlighting the importance of critical thinking in technological choices and for being an active member of a community of practice such as the Association for Learning Technology

As an educator however I am finding some of the recent developments and hype even more challenging that usual. Having knitted great connections through the platform formerly known as Twitter I now encourage my networks to move elsewhere for their interactions. The platform is no longer what it was, the openness has gone and users are even more vulnerable to exploitation through financial demands (eg. for the meaningless blue tick) and transparency available through aggregation using community tools has been lost. I remain present on X for the time being but meanwhile I am developing my networks on Bluesky and Mastedon and recommending professional organisational activity move to LinkedIn and, if appropriate Insta.

From a language education point of view I am taking great critical care in monitoring the development of Artifical Intelligence and, most specifically Generative AI such as ChatGPT and AI powered image and video generators. This recent post on X caught my eye:

If you know any Spanish then I dare you to translate these AI generated “unrealia”. Realia has long been a vital part of communicative language teaching and, once access to the internet became more readily available, I celebrated how it made it easy to bridge the distance between French culture and the experience of my students based in the UK. I could easily link to real restaurant menus and information from the milenium onwards and I would teach my students how to navigate such realia. Using an AI generator to create such resources solves a non existent problem and creates many new ones! I congratulate Mr E on demonstrating this so clearly.

I am also concerned about the ease with which images, video and voice can be faked. Granted there may be opportunities here. One submitted abstract I reviewed recently pointed to the value of being able to create a video of yourself and (using AI) show you speaking fluently in a language you do not actually speak. I hope to see that presentation shared in the EUROCALL annual conference at Trnava, Slovakia in August. Whilst it is true that language learners often struggle to imagine themselves as a fluent speaker of a language they are learning and therefore such fakery could provide psychological encouragement, the risks of using such technology are as yet poorly understood. I have always worked for the improvement of voice over the internet but in the case of such new tools I want to know what is happening to the recording of your voice when you submit it? Voice recordings are increasingly significant data which can be manipulated and used for nefarious purposes.

By far the questions which need to be asked remain unspoken in the light of the flashy novelty of creation and the anticipation of reducing time and expense. Here are some of mine:

• Large language models have to be trained : we need to know what material they are trained upon as this will always influence what they generate
• Who benefits from your access to ChatGPT or similar AI generators. I am sure it is not just you!
• Who is likely to lose out as a result of applying AI to your workflow? Artists? Creators? Teachers? How can we trust what we see?
• When there is so much in fighting in the commercial sphere of these new start ups should we not be concerned that pace of change is making it impossible to really understand the risks?

As an open practitioner I really value the conversations going on in spaces such as OE Global Connect. Anyone can join and tap in to a good deal of technical expertise. Learning together is both fun and important if we are to have a voice in this rapidly changing landscape.