The 7th Academic Conference on AI and Japanese Language Education, organized by the Center for Murakamiharuki Studies in Tamkang University (CMSTKU), was held on April 13 at the Ching-Sheng International Conference Hall. The theme of this event was "Japanese Language Education with Language Generation AI Technology," with nearly 200 scholars, experts, and students from Japan, Sri Lanka, South Korea, and other countries participating. During the closing ceremony, Director Chiu-Kuei Tseng announced that the 8th conference would be held in April next year, expressing anticipation for continued interdisciplinary discussions on innovative Japanese language education with scholars and experts.
Vice President for Academic Affairs Hui-Huang Hsu mentioned in his opening speech that generative AI can provide rough translations, refine translations, edit, write articles, and even offer complete explanations in foreign language teaching. "How can we continue to teach students in traditional ways?" he emphasized. "We should no longer view AI tools as enemies of foreign language teaching but rather understand and utilize them to make them a powerful weapon for foreign language teaching and learning." Due to prior commitments, Secretary-General Chiaki Muramoto of the Cultural Affairs and Public Relations Department at the Taipei Office of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association could not attend, and a Japanese language expert from the Association delivered the congratulatory message on her behalf. She admired CMSTKU’s foresight in combining AI innovation with Japanese language teaching seven years ago. The Center has been holding international academic conferences annually, accumulating remarkable achievements that even Japan cannot match, becoming a paradigm for foreign language learning in the AI era.
The 3 keynote speeches began with a presentation by Professor Chih-Yung Chang, a distinguished professor in the Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering at Tamkang University, on the topic "Innovation and Challenges of Generative AI in Japanese Language Learning." He comprehensively explained the astonishing growth of AI beyond imagination and provided widely used examples of generative AI in Japanese language education. He speculated that AI will surpass human intelligence within three years: "If we don't learn AI soon, it won't be AI replacing humans, but rather AI-capable humans replacing those who are not." Ms. Tsui-O Huang, former vice dean of the Foreign Language College at Fu Jen Catholic University, exclaimed after hearing Dr. Chang's speech, "Oh my! Professor Chih-Yung Chang, who doesn't speak a single Japanese word, can teach professional artificial intelligence using Japanese!" She lamented that Japanese language teachers no longer have any value.
The second session, "Collaborative Innovation in Language Teaching Enhanced by ChatGPT Human-Machine Cooperation," was delivered by Director Chih-Hung Chung of the Center for Distance Education Development. He instructed on the specific techniques for using ChatGPT effectively and maximizing its performance. In the third session, Associate Professor Toshiyuki Kanamaru from Kyoto University pointed out that integrating language education and AI is a step-by-step process that can create compounded benefits for cross-domain innovative Japanese language learning.
In the afternoon, 14 papers were presented by scholars from both domestic and international backgrounds. Among them, Dr. Tseng's presentation on "The Learning Effectiveness of ChatGPT and Metaverse Applied in Japanese Writing Classroom" received enthusiastic applause from the audience. She stated that students were initially afraid of ChatGPT and the Metaverse. Still, experimental results proved that students could unlock their potential, achieve personal growth, and enhance their competitiveness in the job market through effort. "Not only does it improve students' Japanese writing abilities, but it also cultivates students' literacy in AI, DX, and human-machine collaboration," Dr. Tseng added.
