An Introduction to AI and Intercultural Communication Education

An Introduction to AI and Intercultural Communication Education is the first, historic volume to explore the intersection of AI and intercultural communication education, interrogating both the transformative possibilities and ethical dilemmas posed by emerging technologies.

Through diverse scholarly perspectives, the book examines how AI tools, ranging from language models such as ChatGPT and DeepSeek to generative image systems, could reshape the way we teach, research and conceptualise interculturality. While AI offers innovative opportunities for virtual exchanges, automated translation and accessible learning, it also risks reinforcing stereotypes, Western-centric epistemologies and reductive narratives if used uncritically. The contributors address pressing questions: Can AI facilitate decolonial and reflexive approaches to intercultural communication education, or does it inevitably reproduce dominant paradigms? How can educators harness the potential of AI while safeguarding against its pitfalls, such as algorithmic bias and the erasure of indigenous knowledge systems? Combining theoretical critique with case studies, the volume highlights the need for ethical frameworks that prioritise epistemic justice, pluralistic perspectives and human agency in AI-assisted intercultural communication and education.

This book is an indispensable resource for students, researchers and educators interested in the complexities of technology-mediated learning, as well as the broader fields of higher education, intercultural studies and internationalisation and globalisation.

Fred Dervin is a world-renowned interculturalist who has made a strong impact on Intercultural Communication Education and Research over the past 25 years. A Full Professor at the University of Helsinki (Finland), Dervin proposes original and refreshing approaches to understanding the politics of global interactions by challenging conventional paradigms and blending interdisciplinary insights. His work aims to inspire practitioners, researchers and students to rethink and reshape the notion of interculturality. With over 300 publications, Dervin is included in the Stanford Elsevier List of the world’s best scientists (Top 2%).

Hamza R’boul is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of International Education at the Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. His research interests include intercultural education, (higher) education in the Global South, decolonial endeavours in education, cultural politics of language teaching, and postcoloniality.