Original title: Artificial intelligence and Latin: technological innovation in the service of classical tradition
Claudia Abbondanza · September 2026
Learning an ancient language like Latin often relies on traditional memorization and translation drills. Researchers set out to update this process by introducing generative artificial intelligence, using tools like ChatGPT, to third-year Italian classical high school students. The project taught students to use AI both on their own and in teams. Students analyzed Latin texts, practiced making their own Latin sentences, and compared human translations directly against translations made by AI. They even used AI to write new Latin dialogues in the style of the playwright Plautus. By actively checking the machine's work, students developed critical thinking about translation choices and grasped basic and everyday grammar more clearly. The project also promoted ethical AI use and showed students the advantages and limitations of the technology. Overall, the activities helped students treat Latin as an active, living language while sharpening their linguistic and cultural understanding.
You are learning to cook a complex dish by following a written recipe. You try once on your own, but the result is off. Then you ask a friend who has made it before to show you their version. By comparing your attempt with theirs, you see exactly where you missed steps or used the wrong technique. In this paper, the AI acts like that friend, providing a second version of a Latin translation or dialogue that students compare with their own work, making the underlying grammar and style clearer.
This project brings Latin into the 21st century by using generative AI to make the language interactive and engaging for digital-native students. It offers a model for reviving classical studies in schools, showing that ancient languages can be taught with modern tools without losing rigor. Teachers can adopt this approach to foster critical thinking and ethical awareness around AI.
The paper reports on a single experiment in third-year Italian classical high schools, so the findings are not generalizable to other contexts or age groups. It does not provide quantitative measures of student improvement or compare against a control group. The assessment relies on subjective analysis of translations and reflections, not on standardized tests.
Ask anything about this paper. Answers come from its abstract, and say so when the abstract doesn't cover your question.
Artificial intelligence and Latin: technological innovation in the service of classical tradition — Claudia Abbondanza — The journal of classics teaching — doi:10.1017/s205863102610124x
Abstract licence: CC BY
Explanation generated by Synthesis from the abstract — it is not the original paper.