In the News
November 5, 2026
Opinion: Don't Let AI Repeat Old Mistakes With Multilingual Learners
GovTech.com | Shutterstock
On November 5, the Center for Digital Education (CDE)/GovTech.com published a new op-ed by ELSF Executive Director Crystal Gonzales, Don't Let AI Repeat Old Mistakes With Multilingual Learners. The article examined the growing role of artificial intelligence in education while highlighting the importance of intentional design and implementation.
Crystal warns that AI tools can mistake developing English proficiency for a lack of content knowledge, potentially limiting students' opportunities to demonstrate what they know. Getting this right requires the involvement of multilingual learners, their teachers and experts from the very beginning.
The fact is there are no neutral tools. Every system reflects assumptions about language, learning and students, and those assumptions are often embedded in the data used to train AI. If that data fails to represent MLLs or students with disabilities — or if the system relies too heavily on input from educators who have not been trained to support multilingual learners — the resulting platform can be incomplete at best and biased at worst.