Utopian and dystopian visions : Steering a course for the responsible use of artificial intelligence in language testing and assessment

Harding, Luke (2025) Utopian and dystopian visions : Steering a course for the responsible use of artificial intelligence in language testing and assessment. Language Testing. ISSN 0265-5322

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Abstract

This article provides a discussion of the special issue: Advancing language assessment for teaching and learning in the era of artificial intelligence (AI) revolution: promises and challenges. In the first section, the special issue is contextualised within the recent history of the field of language testing and assessment and the rapid introduction of AI to assessment practices. In the second section, a dystopian vision for the use of AI in language assessment is described, drawing on recent critical perspectives concerning the use of AI in EdTech and popular culture. The third section provides counter examples, describing conceptual and practical work that has been done to establish guidelines for responsible use of AI in language assessment and sketching an alternative, utopian vision. The fourth section discusses the seven articles in the special issue, considering their orientation to features of the utopian vision. In the final section, two deeper questions are considered: Can AI be trusted to make ethical/moral decisions? And Is AI literacy possible (or enough)?