Benefits

The use of AI image-generation tools in general, and NightCafe Creator in particular, can provide many benefits for learners and the learning process. For example, the freedom given to students when creating their own prompts for image-generation is an example of the learner-generated-context-based approach: the creation and use of digital technology that enables learners to build a ‘learner-generated context’ and learn within it (British Council, 2023). In other words, the tool itself can create a context for language learning.

Regarding teachers, NightCafe Creator is an excellent tool for creating visual resources quickly while making them tailor-made for the purposes of the lesson. In order to do this, educational authorities should instruct teachers in the use of image-generation AI tools which, according to UNESCO (2023) “only some seven countries (China, Finland, Georgia, Qatar, Spain, Thailand and Türkiye) reported that they had developed or were developing frameworks or training programmes on AI for teachers” (p. 26).

Drawbacks

It should also be mentioned that the use of NightCafe Creator in the classroom may raise several challenges and controversies, including the need for students to acknowledge the ethical issues related to generating pictures that may incorporate the faces of people without their consent, as in deepfakes (UNESCO, 2023), or the fact that marginalized voices and populations tend to be ignored as their presence online is minimal, so “Their voices are consequently not being heard and their concerns are not represented in the data being used to train GPTs” (UNESCO, 2023, p.17).