Across languages through AI: Teachers’ perspectives from a multilingual university

Abstract

The increasing presence of artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education is transforming teaching practices, especially in multilingual universities where linguistic diversity is central to everyday academic interactions. This study investigates how university teachers engaged with AI tools at a multilingual institution before institutional guidelines for their use had been established and classroom practices had become more firmly developed. It forms part of a wider research project exploring teaching practices, opportunities, and challenges in multilingual classrooms at the University of Luxembourg. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with university teachers from different faculties and disciplines. These interviews explored teachers’ experience of teaching in this multilingual context, their use of AI technologies, and their perceptions of opportunities and challenges associated with these tools. The findings suggest that AI tools are primarily used as supportive instruments to facilitate translation, improve communication, assist with teaching material, and manage multilingual classroom interactions. Teachers highlight the efficiency and practical value of such tools, particularly in reducing workload and enabling access across languages. However, teachers also expressed concerns about potential overreliance on AI technologies, limitations in capturing linguistic and cultural nuance, and implications of these technologies for academic integrity and student learning. The findings emphasise the importance of encouraging critical engagement with AI and developing AI literacy among teachers and students alike, to ensure that these tools enhance rather than replace linguistic competence and pedagogical judgement in linguistically diverse educational environments.