Italian: Too Passionate for AI

Ciao amici,

Buon autunno! I hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful Fall weather this week.

With the new season and back to school energy in the air, I want to take a look at how some people are using ChatGPT to study Italian. I’ll admit that at first glance, I took it as a threat to my career as an Italian teacher, but it didn’t take long to realize how insufficient, at best, AI is to truly learning Italian.

I’ve explained in the past how using technology as a shortcut to learning doesn’t work. As I learn more about ChatGPT, the clearer its shortcomings become, especially since AI could never teach how to express your subjective experiences. Italy is a country that utilizes every sense with its food, landscapes, architecture, people and warmth, so being able to spontaneously express feelings is essential.

The most dangerous part of studying Italian with ChatGPT is that the bot's responses are always affirmative: Buona domanda! (good question!) Bravo! (well done!) and so on. A good teacher is encouraging but also has a touch of sternness and directs students to study harder when necessary.

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Un abbraccio,

Lisa