Generative Artificial Intelligence in the Teaching of Portuguese as a Pluricentric Language: Critical, Pedagogical, and Ethical Proposals

Abstract

This article discusses possible uses of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in the teaching of Portuguese as an Additional Language (PAL), with particular emphasis on recognizing Portuguese as a pluricentric language. It adopts a qualitative, interpretivist, and theoretical-propositional approach grounded in Moita Lopes (2006), articulated with the ROPES instructional framework and the theory of multiple intelligences. Based on this framework, three simulated GenAI-supported lesson plans designed for multilingual contexts are developed and analyzed. The analysis is organized around three categories: (1) critical teacher mediation; (2) optimization of pedagogical time; and (3) enhancement of normative and cultural diversity. The lesson plans suggest potential uses of GenAI to support the personalization of activities, automate selected tasks, and broaden learners’ contact with linguistic diversity, provided that its use is accompanied by critical teacher mediation and ethical curation. The proposed activities integrate active learning methodologies, multiliteracies, learner authorship, and the articulation of oral, written, and multimodal resources. The article concludes that GenAI may constitute a pedagogical resource for plural, critical, and situated language education, provided that its outputs are subject to teacher analysis and linguistic and cultural verification. Future studies are recommended to investigate these possibilities empirically in real PAL teaching contexts across different Lusophone settings.