The School of Foreign Languages and Literature at Shandong University (SDU) held an international summer school on artificial intelligence and language education from July 27 to Aug 8, bringing together 235 teachers and students from 80 universities in China and abroad.

The program featured 17 lectures delivered by scholars from universities in China, New Zealand and Iran. Participants also came from institutions including the University of Southern California, Seoul National University, Universiti Malaya, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and City University of Macau.

Lectures examined how artificial intelligence is reshaping language research, foreign language education and second-language acquisition. And the subjects covered corpus-based research, large language models, AI-assisted reading and writing, data-driven learning, prompt optimization, digital literacy, and teachers' AI literacy.

Multiple speakers explored how the roles of teachers and learners are evolving in the era of generative AI. Topics included fact-checking, digital literacy, human-AI collaboration, and the preservation of learner agency amid rapidly advancing technology.

The program also addressed links between language studies, medicine and cognitive neuroscience. It covered AI applications in language and health research, as well as the use of ERP and fMRI to study language processing and memory.

The summer school integrated theoretical discussions, research methods, and teaching practice to give participants a comprehensive overview of emerging trends in AI-supported language education and interdisciplinary linguistic research.