In a World of SMART Technology, Why Learn Another Language?

The rapid developments today in artificial intelligence (AI), supported by massive language data collection, are resulting in ever better digital language assistance/translation. Advances in the capabilities of intelligent services lead naturally to envisioning a future where there might be a quite different context for second language (L2) use and therefore for second language acquisition (SLA). A central aspect of that future will be the respective contributions of formal, institutional language learning and informal, largely autonomous language development. While a number of future scenarios can be imagined, I will be arguing here in favor of a framework of "structured unpredictability" (Little & Thorne, 2017) as the optimal future pathway for L2 development, with the guidance and self-reflective possibilities of formal instruction (face-to-face or online) combined with the cultural and pragmatic learning available from online encounters and exchanges. In such a vision, SMART tech (intelligent, networked devices operating autonomously and synching continuously) will enhance individual learning but is not likely to replace the essentially human character of person-to-person communication.