It's been over a year since ChatGPT was released, causing a stir in the tech industry. Despite recent warnings that the potential of such artificial intelligence has been overblown, a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center in February found that the number of people using ChatGPT is rapidly increasing. According to the survey, 20% of respondents said they used ChatGPT for work, a two-thirds increase from a survey conducted in July last year. Including the 17% increase in those who used it for learning, we can't deny that the influence of ChatGPT is growing more rapidly than we thought.

What we need to pay most attention to is that the question of how we can utilize ChatGPT is only in its beginning stages. OpenAI is constantly mentioning the emergence of general artificial intelligence and is preparing to launch the next generation of ChatGPT, while Google and Microsoft are shifting personnel to redesign all their product lines to integrate this conversational AI. A variety of startups are also proposing customized models that can specialize in specific tasks for corporate clients, such as translation and marketing. It is clear that more and more people will be using AI tools.

However, we also need to consider what we might lose in exchange for the new and convenient benefits of this inescapable technology. One of the biggest concerns is the loss of opportunities to develop language skills. The automatic translation feature used most frequently in work has already neatly erased the need for daily language learning when writing and checking emails. Samsung is advertising its new Galaxy S24 smartphone as being able to translate phone calls in real time, and Jumpspeak, which provides language learning services, has even been criticized for creating a fake advertisement featuring an AI avatar that claims to have overcome the difficulties of language learning.

Dr. Jill Cussler Bishop, a linguistic anthropologist, argues that language is a vivid and convincing expression of who we are. Through her research, she has shown how people use language to identify and express their identities, and how nuance played a crucial role in the process of connecting through language and forming communities. The choice of words, phrases, or metaphors conveys meaning about ideas, assumptions about the world, relationships between existing people, or local contexts, so in ethnographic analysis, these forms of nuance are key data.

In February, a far-right conspiracy theorist shared an AI-generated clip of Hitler speaking in English, not German, on X, which garnered over 15 million views. The experience of hearing Hitler speak in English was strange, and some even left comments saying that they seemed to be worried about their country more than anything. While this incident can be dismissed as a single, stimulating event that was confirmed online, it’s possible to see the implications related to the power of linguistic nuance when considering the future, where AI will be able to perform tasks faster and more sophisticatedly.

Currently, most users of AI translation don’t spend enough time determining whether the translation is sufficiently close to the original. Just as we have lost the ability to memorize phone numbers, it’s highly possible that we will lose the opportunity to develop linguistic abilities that allow us to identify the differences ourselves. Language shapes the way people interpret reality, so learning to speak, read, and write in different languages helps us discover new ways of seeing the world. No technology can replace this human experience. That's why providing classes in schools that actively examine the intercultural elements of language learning may be the best choice going forward.

The popular Netflix drama "Squid Game" features various expressions used to refer to different people in different situations, such as “Sa-jang-nim” (Boss) when a foreigner addresses a Korean, or “Seon-saeng-nim” (Teacher) when addressing an elder. However, the translated dialogue is simply expressed as “Sir” in English. Understanding this unseen cultural background and the nuances of language can increase the enjoyment of this drama for viewers overseas. And this is a key opportunity for experience that we cannot afford to miss in the future.

References

Americans’ use of ChatGPT is ticking up, but few trust its electioninformation

The End of Foreign-Language Education

Why does Nuance Matter when Translating and Transcribing Multilingual Content?

An AI-Altered Hitler Speech Is Going Viral On X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠