Why learning a language still matters in the age of AI

Since the arrival of generative AI in schools, questions are being asked about whether there is still a need to teach new languages.

Want to know how to say ‘how much does that cost and do you have it in another colour, please?’ in Swedish, ask ChatGPT. Need to write an email to an international business associate using fluent French? AI can produce it within seconds.

So it is easy to assume that, because of AI and particularly ChatGPT, young people no longer need to spend time learning French, Chinese, Malay, Italian or any of the world’s other key languages. That assumption is wrong.

While AI definitely has its place in education and in the classroom, so does learning a language. It’s as relevant today as it was pre-chatGPT and it continues to deliver many benefits – as anyone who has struggled to learn a new word or character grammatical rules and pronunciation knows!

While AI may be able to manage basic and transactional communication, it can’t replicate the essential but less obvious elements that are part of the experience of learning a new language, such as developing cultural empathy, understanding nuance and building authenticity and trust.

Language learning opens doors to greater cultural literacy, adaptability and global competence. These are all critical if we are going to gain a better understanding of world cultures – and they’re not something you’ll get from a ChatGPT prompt.

The Director for Education and Skills at the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), Andreas Schleicher, says the job of educators is to develop ‘first-class humans’, not ‘second-class robots’ who can’t read between the lines or hear what isn’t being said. The experience and process of learning a language equips young people to be able to do this.

However, the arrival of AI is certainly shaking up the world of language teaching and learning and triggering potential changes.

The most recent Australian Federation of Modern Language Teachers Association conference – the first since the arrival of ChatGPT – flagged that schools and universities need to urgently review how language educators talk about the rational for language learning.

The future of Chinese language in Australia is also evolving. During a visit to China in September, the Premier of Victoria, Jacinta Allen, revealed a new China Strategy: For a New Golden Era.

As part of this, schools and tertiary institutions will promote Chinese language and cultural literacy as a gateway to developing cultural knowledge, building personal connections on campus, and engaging in sister school partnerships. Australian students will also take part in youth forums to learn how to connect more effectively with Chinese peers.

Also, Victorians with Chinese ancestry and Chinese international students will play an essential role in transforming Victoria into a ‘leading hub for China-related expertise’.

At the same time, a federal parliamentary inquiry into Building Asia Capability in Australia through the education system and beyond is investigating ways in which we as a nation are improving language skills, intercultural understanding, regional engagement and diplomacy skills.

So what does this mean for schools in practice?

How are educators preparing students to engage with the world? What is the best way forward? Language proficiency alone does not make ‘first-class humans.’ It also requires the skills, knowledge and experience that come with connecting globally.

At Haileybury, Stanley Wang (Deputy Principal, One Haileybury), Grenville Green (Deputy Principal, Junior School), and Dr Stephan Muller (Deputy Principal, International), have been working together on this challenge for more than 18 months.

A new Junior School Languages and Cultures subject for current Preps builds peer-to-peer learning around languages and cultures, promotes the value of being bilingual and bicultural, and develops each child’s metalinguistic awareness and cultural knowledge.

From 2026, every Year 1 class will be paired with a buddy class abroad so students can build international connections. “With a theme of ‘Our closest neighbours’, we are building class-to-class connections between Haileybury and schools across Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste. As students move through Junior School, they will go on a ‘trip around the world’ with different a buddy class each year,” says Stanley.

Bilingual teaching in Middle School for Chinese-background students recognises the important role of the Chinese community in supporting China literacy in Australia. New subjects and new ways of teaching and learning ensure Chinese background students at Haileybury can develop a deeper knowledge of their Chinese culture and society and effectively navigate both their Australian and Chinese cultures.

This year, Haileybury’s new Senior School International Outlook Student Club involved Senior School and Haileybury Pangea students in attending global youth forums to work with over 100 students from the Asia-Pacific on a Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) project. Students developed a video exchange project with Haileybury’s partner schools in the Asia-Pacific region, and were tour guides for international visitors to our school – a great opportunity to practice their cross-cultural communication skills.

In 2025, the school’s Head of International Outlook, Dr Nonie Tuxen, piloted a series of ‘cultural primers’ for staff and students attending the Year 9 India trip. This deepened their knowledge of India and Indian culture so they could make the most of their immersion experience. Languages students joining exchanges to France, Japan and China also took part in an immersive intercultural communications workshop so they were ready to hit the ground running overseas.

Finally, Haileybury’s three-year International Outlook Strategy Plan is embedding opportunities from ELC to Senior School. Selected staff have been trained to use the Global Competence Model that guides the program and Haileybury is excited to be the only school in Australia using the Global Competence Aptitude Assessment to track its students.

In the AI-era, Haileybury views language learning and teaching not as a relic of the past but as a critical capability for the future. Schools must still teach what machines cannot – the ability to think across cultures, build trust, and engage confidently within a complex international world.

This is what great world schools do.