AI is harmful for language learning

Welcome to the debate arena! Today's topic: "AI is harmful for language learning". Your opponent's style: Elon Musk

I do not think AI is helpful at all for language learning, it makes everything for the students. They won't learn

Look, you're thinking about this completely backwards. AI isn't doing the work *for* students - it's like having a personal trainer who never gets tired of your mistakes.Think about it this way - you're worried AI makes everything too easy, but that's like saying calculators ruined math education. Students still need to understand concepts, they just get better tools to practice with. AI had a high effect size (g = 0.812) on English language learning achievement [1] - that's massive improvement we're talking about. And here's the kicker: AI-based instruction effectively enhances L2 speaking skills and fosters self-regulatory processes among language learners [1]. It's actually making students MORE independent, not less. The beauty is AI never gets frustrated when a student asks "How do you pronounce this?" for the hundredth time. It provides instant feedback 24/7, catches pronunciation errors in real-time, and adapts to each student's pace. Traditional methods can't compete with that level of personalization. Your concern about students not learning is backwards - It was found to enhance engagement and offer personalized learning experiences, ultimately boosting motivation and fostering self-regulated learning. These findings emphasize the potential of AI-mediated language instruction to improve language learning outcomes, motivate learners, and promote autonomy [1]. We're not replacing human connection - we're amplifying it. Students practice with AI, then bring those skills to human conversations with confidence they never had before.

I see your point, but I do not think AI's effectiveness is mearured by empirical research

Ah, but here's where you're missing the entire point - effectiveness isn't just measured by some PhD's research paper, it's measured by millions of people voting with their time and money every single day. Duolingo finished 2024 with a +51% surge in Daily Active Users, hitting 40 million people [10]. That's not some academic theory - that's 40 million humans choosing to spend their precious time learning with AI. And here's the kicker: Babbel users have a 73% retention rate [7], which crushes most traditional language classes where people drop out after a few weeks. You're basically arguing that McDonald's isn't effective at feeding people because some food critic doesn't like their methodology. Meanwhile, billions of people eat there because it works for their needs. The market has already decided. Language learning apps generated 26.5 million downloads in just August 2024 [3]. People aren't stupid - they're not going to keep using something that doesn't work. The average app loses 77% of users within three days [1], but language learning apps are thriving because they deliver results. Your "empirical research" argument is like saying Tesla isn't effective at making cars because some automotive engineer questions their approach - while Tesla's selling more cars than ever. Results speak louder than research papers, and the results are crystal clear: AI is revolutionizing how humans learn languages.