Cape Forum: AI should promote language equality, not deepen inequality
Cape Forum has submitted its comments on Stellenbosch University’s (SU) draft language policy for 2026, reaffirming its support for genuine multilingualism. However, the organisation warns that the proposed policy risks deepening existing language inequalities by increasingly establishing English as the default language, while subjecting Afrikaans and isiXhosa to undefined conditional support as second-languages.
According to Cape Forum, we live in a time where technological advances, and especially artificial intelligence (AI), create unprecedented opportunities to bring people closer together and break down language barriers. It should therefore no longer be necessary for one language to be privileged at the expense of others.
“Where language differences were presented as a political challenge in the past, modern AI technology today offers the ability to make quality academic content available quickly and efficiently in different languages. The focus should be on treating languages equally, not on further strengthening the dominant position of English. AI therefore allows the source of information to be in Afrikaans, isiXhosa or another language that it then translates into English,” says Bernard Pieters, Head of Community Activation at Cape Forum.
The organisation believes that true multilingualism is not achieved when Afrikaans and isiXhosa are used primarily for summaries, explanations or supporting purposes. Such approaches increase inequalities because students do not enjoy the same level of access to knowledge in their mother tongue. If language equality is not the outcome as promised, this latest language policy is not multilingualism, but a deliberate dismantling of an existing academic language.
Cape Forum argues that AI has the potential to promote greater inclusion by making academic materials, assessments and communication available in multiple languages of equal quality. The technology should be used to bring people closer together and expand access to knowledge, rather than to reinforce existing anti-diversity language hierarchies.
“Stellenbosch University has the opportunity to be a world leader in multilingual higher education. Instead of falling back on a single default language, the institution should leverage new technology to achieve true language equality and promote the academic development of all its official languages,” Pieters concludes.
Cape Forum therefore calls on SU to adjust the final language policy so that it utilizes the possibilities of modern technology to reduce inequalities, rather than increase them.
