Generative AI and linguistic creativity in digitally multilingual higher education

Generative AI (GenAI) is significantly transforming language education within digitally multilingual higher education environments, shifting text production and stylistic choices to human-AI interaction. This evolution presents opportunities for fostering linguistic creativity, yet simultaneously introduces concerns regarding standardization, algorithmic bias, potential overreliance on AI-generated content, and the diminished development of learners' individual authorial voice. A quasi-experimental study involving 88 Ukrainian university students investigated this dynamic, conceptualizing linguistic creativity across four components: text-production, figurative-expressive, transformational, and motivational.

Why it matters

The integration of Generative AI into educational frameworks holds strategic importance for institutions navigating evolving pedagogical approaches and workforce development. Understanding its impact on foundational skills like linguistic creativity and authorial voice is critical for designing effective learning environments that leverage technological advancements while mitigating associated risks.

Key insights

• Generative AI is reshaping language education through human-AI interaction in text production, revision, genre transformation, and stylistic choice.
• The application of GenAI in digitally multilingual higher education offers potential for developing linguistic creativity.
• Concerns exist regarding standardization, algorithmic bias, overreliance on AI-generated texts, and the weakening of learners' authorial voice due to GenAI use.
• Linguistic creativity is conceptualized as a four-component construct: text-production, figurative-expressive, transformational, and motivational.
• An empirical quasi-experiment involved 88 first- and second-year students from three Ukrainian higher education institutions, comparing traditional tasks with AI-supported tasks.

Source

Frontiers in Education — https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2026.1931269