Generative AI in foreign language education: Student use and perspectives

The introduction of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has implications for foreign language education of which text production has traditionally formed a central part. This necessitates careful consideration of how the technology should be addressed, and this should be based on the perspectives of different stakeholders. To this end, this study explores foreign language students’ use of and perspectives on the integration of generative AI into foreign language education. It does so by means of a questionnaire study of 83 students attending a course on language technology. The study shows a frequent and increasing use of generative AI among students, and that they use it for a wide range of reasons. Approximately 15% of the students reported to have used generative AI in connection with exams despite a ban at the time of the study. Students were generally divided on the question of banning generative AI at exams, however, the number of students considering it cheating increased between 2023 and 2024. The qualitative analysis provided insight into the students’ arguments which to a wide extent reflect the scholarly debate that stresses the importance of both validity and authenticity of assessment. The students’ reflections on the learning achieved from the course suggest that benefits may be gained from even a quite limited integration of the technology into foreign language education. In general, the study has shown that students have diverse and nuanced perspectives on the integration of generative AI into foreign language education.