Chongqing - As generative AI reshapes the boundaries of language work, foreign language educators in China are shifting their focus from defending against automation to training students who can direct it. That message emerged as the central theme of the 11th Hainan-Chongqing Foreign Language Education Seminar and the 2026 Annual Meeting of the Chongqing International Studies Association, held Oct. 30-31 at Chongqing University of Arts and Sciences.
The two-day event, themed "Strategic Transformation of Foreign Language Education and Reconstruction of Teaching Models in the Digital-Intelligent Era," drew nearly 200 scholars and industry representatives from universities and research institutions across Hainan, Chongqing and Sichuan.
In a keynote address, Hu Jiehui, dean and professor at the School of Foreign Languages, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, argued that integrating humanities and technology has become a mainstream direction for linguistic innovation. "The core of exploring 'foreign languages + AI' is to enable language talent to move from 'being replaced by AI' to 'commanding AI' - using linguistic strengths to empower technological application, and technological capability to expand the boundaries of the language discipline," Hu said.
Sun Bo, a professor and deputy director of the Industry-University-Research Development Center at Hainan College of Foreign Studies, presented a case study on aligning foreign language programs with the needs of the Hainan Free Trade Port. The college has been shifting its curriculum from isolated language-skills training toward what Sun described as "industry capability," building industrial colleges and order-based classes with enterprises under a "park + research + education" model. He said the approach addresses a longstanding weakness in traditional foreign language training: graduates who can translate words but cannot function effectively in professional settings.
Sun Bo, a professor and deputy director of the Industry-University-Research Development Center at Hainan College of Foreign Studies. (Photo/The Interviewee)
Other participants stressed that digital-intelligent technology is more than an enabling tool; it is a variable reshaping the entire paradigm of foreign language teaching. They argued the field should shift from cultivating "people who study language" to cultivating "people who use language to get things done," placing greater weight on language-service competence rather than purely literary or linguistic literacy.
"Embracing digital-intelligent change is not a matter of stacking technologies on top of existing practices. It is a systemic reform," said Wang Dongqiang, vice president of Chongqing University of Arts and Sciences, which hosted the conference. "We must uphold the humanistic foundation of foreign language education, balance technological empowerment with value guidance, and cultivate interdisciplinary talent who combine Chinese cultural grounding, an international perspective and the ability to communicate China's story effectively."
Wang Dongqiang, vice president of Chongqing University of Arts and Sciences. (Photo/The Interviewee)
Wang added that the university will draw on practices from Sichuan and Hainan as it works toward a transformation model suited to the region's own conditions.