A training course on "AI Empowering English Teaching and Learning" jointly organized by Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University (BNBU) and the International English Research Foundation (TIRF) was recently held at Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University (BNBU). Liu Jun, President of City University of Macau and Chairman of the International English Education Research Foundation (TIRF), was invited to host the event and deliver an opening speech. Zhu Tianqing, vice dean of City University’s Faculty of Data Science, attended the event and delivered a keynote speech. This training brought together education experts, scholars and industry elites from around the world to discuss how to use AI technology to innovate English language teaching and learning and promote innovative development in the field of education.
In his opening speech, President Liu Jun elaborated on the importance of AI technology in language education, pointing out that we are currently in a critical period of digital transformation in education. He called on educators around the world to work together to meet the educational challenges in the AI era. The event also features two in-depth discussion sessions, focusing on "Dialogue between Artificial Intelligence and English Education" and "AI Empowerment of Academic English and Corpus Research". Both seminars were hosted by President Liu Jun.
In the morning seminar, President Liu Jun organized two experts to engage in a heated debate on the paradigm shift in language education in the AI era. With his keen academic insight, he sometimes asked sharp questions to challenge scholars' views, and sometimes resolved technical disputes with humorous comments, and sparks of thought frequently appeared on the spot. The afternoon seminar focused more on practical applications. President Liu Jun guided the two keynote speakers to conduct a professional discussion on the integration of academic English, corpus linguistics and AI technology. President Liu Jun also innovatively adopted the "group collaboration + expert comments" model, allowing participants to raise research questions first, and then inviting the expert group to provide immediate feedback. This immersive seminar turns the venue into an interactive workshop, directly translating theoretical discussions into actionable solutions.
Under the chairmanship of President Liu Jun, the two seminars not only deepened the theoretical content of the keynote speeches, but also expanded the practical application scenarios. This progressive design of "keynote speech + interactive discussion" received unanimous praise from the participants and truly achieved a deep integration of academic thoughts and practical wisdom.
During the event, Vice Dean Zhu Tianqing delivered a keynote speech entitled "AI for Language Education: New Opportunities and Challenges", in which he deeply analyzed the multi-angle impact of AI on language education, especially emphasizing its potential in creating personalized learning paths and popularizing educational resources. He also pointed out challenges such as data privacy and ethical issues.
At the closing session of the conference, President Liu Jun delivered a concluding speech entitled “The Future of ELT is Unwritten”. He succinctly summarized the outcomes of the day's meeting and put forward profound insights into the future development direction of English education. President Liu Jun pointed out: "The future of English education is full of infinite possibilities, and it requires the joint efforts of our educators, researchers, policy makers and technology developers." President Liu Jun particularly emphasized that in the wave of digitalization, English education must continue to play an important role as a bridge of global communication, and encouraged educators to maintain an open mind and be bold in innovation. This forward-looking concluding speech sparked widespread resonance and in-depth thinking among the participants.
