The paradox of inclusion

Generative AI and the center-periphery divide in language education

Bibliographic Data

ID21535684
AuthorsKaiqi Shi (0009-0008-5619-5237), Shi KaiQi (University of Hong Kong, corresponding author)
Year2026
Volume141
Pages104103
Publication date2026-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSystem (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0346-251X • E-ISSN: 1879-3282
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.system.2026.104103
OpenAlexW7166655654
LanguageEN
References cited50

The emergence of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) marks an infrastructural transformation in Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL), yet the rapid expansion of the field reveals a fundamental tension between pedagogical optimization and structural inequality. This article presents a theory-informed critical scoping review of 53 studies (2020-2026) to map the uneven landscape of GenAI in language education. Using a Center-Periphery framework, the study analyzes how GenAI functions as a pedagogical accelerator in high-resource, English-dominant contexts (“The Center”) while simultaneously marginalizing low-resource and Indigenous linguistic settings (“The Periphery”). Findings demonstrate that in the Center, GenAI enables process-oriented optimization in L2 writing and significant gains in interactional fluency through rapid feedback loops and low-stakes practice environments. In the Periphery, however, the mechanisms of data scale and statistical generalization result in structural exclusion, which manifests through degraded feedback, dialect leveling, and epistemic bias. This study conceptualizes this dual-edged force as the Paradox of Inclusion: the process by which technologies that appear to democratize access simultaneously reproduce and intensify existing global inequalities. The article concludes by arguing for a shift from purely technical innovation toward a framework of responsibility, emphasizing Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Critical AI Literacy as essential pathways toward achieving global linguistic justice in the digital age

Comprehension approach · Generative grammar · Generative model · Language acquisition · Language Understanding · Educational Leadership and Innovation · Educational Theory and Curriculum Studies · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning

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