I know this is exactly the opposite of what everyone is telling you to do in 2025, but in this article I want to talk about why artificial intelligence is ruining your Italian—or at least why it’s keeping you from finally becoming fluent.
Stop using AI to learn Italian
The Main Problems with AI Learning
You don’t put yourself in real-world situations
Practicing with AI is like practicing in an artificial environment. It’s literally artificial intelligence. You cannot simulate the stress you might feel, for example, in a job interview or when speaking in public. You’re in your comfort zone. You feel safe. You’re just talking to a screen, not to a real person.
And even though this might seem appealing, especially if you’re shy or nervous about speaking Italian, you’re not doing yourself any favors. It’s not helping you. You need to prepare for real-world conversations. You need to prepare for those stressful situations, those situations where you need to step out of your comfort zone.
Example: Imagine having to ask for information in a crowded train station in Rome. With AI, you never experience the confusion of background noise, the anxiety of not understanding a native Italian speaker’s quick response, or the need to repeat your question with different words if they don’t understand you immediately.
The positive pressure of human conversation
That’s why practicing with a real person puts you under a bit more positive pressure. It forces you to be more intentional about how you speak. It forces you to pay attention to your way of speaking and to focus on making a good impression, to focus on using the correct vocabulary and correct pronunciation.
With AI, you can easily become lazy. Because AI doesn’t judge you. It’s not a real person. It’s just a screen, a voice behind a screen. If you want to prepare for the real world – and of course you do, because that’s why you’re learning a language – you actually need to practice it in the real world.
The problem of “textbook” Italian
Another big problem with AI is that it teaches you textbook Italian that no one ever uses. If you talk to AI, for example ChatGPT, DeepL, any of these AI bots, the responses you get will always be perfect, almost too perfect.
And guess what? We are human. We are naturally imperfect. And if you don’t prepare for imperfection, for grammatical errors, for speaking fast, for slang, for anything less than textbook, anything less than perfect, when you actually encounter them in the real world, you get in trouble.
Example: AI will always tell you “Come va?” [How’s it going?] in a formal way, but an Italian might say “Come butta?” [How’s it going?] or “Tutto apposto?” [Everything alright?] (intentionally misspelled instead of “a posto”). Or they might say “Boh, non lo so” [I dunno, I don’t know] instead of the correct form “Non lo so” [I don’t know], which is what you’ll find in textbooks.
The solution: talking to real people
And again, the solution to this is talking to a real human being. This is my philosophy. And this is the philosophy of my organization. I always tell my students. My teachers agree with me on this.
The solution to this problem is speaking Italian with real people. Italian is a language. Languages must be spoken. And they must be spoken with real people. Human connection is an integral part of language learning. Because without it, you’re missing something. You’re missing a piece of the puzzle that makes you fluent.
The importance of cultural barriers
I work with students from all over the world. I work with students from North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, everywhere except Antarctica. And one of the things you always have to keep in mind when working with students from different cultures is that there are not only language barriers, but there are also cultural barriers.
Every culture has its unique customs, practices and social norms. And this is something that AI can’t really teach. Because again, this is very human. It depends on where you grow up. It depends on who you grow up with. It depends on how you grow up.
Example: When an Italian says “Facciamo aperitivo insieme?” [Shall we have an aperitif together?], they’re not just proposing a drink. They’re inviting you to a social ritual that includes snacks, relaxed conversation and often extends for hours. This cultural context cannot be fully understood by AI.
Human uniqueness in language
Interacting with people from different cultures is one of the reasons people learn and should learn new languages. It’s not something that talking to AI or talking to ChatGPT can prepare you for. The only way to prepare for any kind of cultural exchange is practice. It comes from talking to real human beings.
Part of being human is imperfection. Anyone, literally anyone, can go on the internet and post something written by AI. There’s no character. There’s no voice. There’s no individuality in that.
The future belongs to creative humans
And I predict that in the coming years we’ll see an increase in this. We’ll see advertisements, we’ll see posts, we’ll see articles – we’re already seeing those written by AI. And they’ll all sound the same. The ones people will really want to read will be written by humans because they’ll be the most creative, the most individual, the most human of all.
If you can prepare for this, if you can focus on your Italian and learn Italian in a way that is human and that emphasizes your humanity, you’re preparing for future success because not everyone will have that. If you’re creative, if you’re able to use language in a way that AI can’t, you’ll be more successful than most people who use AI.
The danger of AI dependency
And this is another problem. AI is almost like a drug. It’s so easy to open your phone, write something to ChatGPT and become dependent on this. And by the way, ChatGPT tends to agree with many of the things you say, which can be really dangerous.
If you think about it, it’s very accommodating. And sometimes you want someone who challenges your beliefs, who tells you you’re wrong and who doesn’t agree with everything you say. And this is something that generally, unless you instruct AI, humans know how to do better.
One place to learn Italian
Join the LearnAmo AcademyMy advice for 2025
I would suggest, if you’re learning Italian in 2025, based on all my experience and the experience of the teachers I work with: if you can focus on learning Italian without AI, without that crutch, without that excessive dependency, you’ll have a huge advantage in the future.
And another thing I actually recommend is handwriting. Practice your handwriting skills. Take a sheet of paper and a pencil and write, because this will also help you improve your spelling.
The value of handwriting
One of the problems with autocorrect and modern technology is that you become dependent on it. And you forget how to spell words. This is a problem that even native speakers encounter, especially the younger generation.
If you can get that connection between the wrist and the brain, you’re more likely to remember words. You’re more likely to remember how to spell them. And you’ll have a much more solid understanding of the language.
Example: Instead of typing “Ho fame” [I’m hungry] on your phone, handwrite a complete sentence like “Ho una fame da lupi” [I’m as hungry as a wolf] or “Ho un buco nello stomaco” [I have a hole in my stomach]. You’ll notice that you remember these idiomatic expressions better when you physically write them.
Alternative strategies for practicing Italian
Finding conversation partners
Look for language exchange partners online or in your city. Platforms like HelloTalk, Tandem or simple Facebook groups of Italians in your area can be valuable resources. The important thing is to have spontaneous and authentic conversations.
Do you want to take Italian lessons with our qualified native teachers? Purchase your Italiano Intensivo package!
Virtual cultural immersion
Watch authentic Italian content: talk shows, podcasts, YouTube videos of Italians talking about their daily lives. This exposes you to natural language, interruptions, repetitions and mistakes that characterize real speech.
Example: Instead of asking AI “Come si ordina al ristorante?” [How do you order at a restaurant?], watch videos of Italian food bloggers actually ordering in restaurants. You’ll hear expressions like “Che cosa mi consiglia?” [What do you recommend?] or “Prendo quello che dice lei” [I’ll take what you suggest] which are much more natural.
Reading authentic content
Read Italian newspapers online, blogs, forums and social media. This exposes you to Italian written naturally, including typos, abbreviations and informal ways of expressing yourself that AI typically doesn’t use.
When AI can be useful (in moderation)
This doesn’t mean you can’t use AI for some specific things. I think AI can be useful in certain situations. It can speed things up in your work, for example. But it’s not a substitute for real human connection, for real human conversation.
AI can be useful for:
- Quick grammatical corrections of texts you’ve already written
- Single word translations when you don’t have a dictionary
- Explanations of complex grammatical rules as review
- Generation of vocabulary lists on specific topics
But never to replace conversational practice with real people.
The real difference between AI and humans in learning
Authentic emotional reactions
When you talk to an Italian and make a funny mistake, you’ll see their authentic reaction: they might laugh, gently correct you, or even not understand what you mean. These reactions teach you more than any automatic AI correction.
Body language and context
Human communication is not just verbal. Italian gestures, facial expressions, tone of voice – all of this is part of learning a language. An Italian who says “Bene, bene…” [Good, good…] while shaking their head is communicating something completely different from what the words suggest.
Real-time adaptation
A human conversationalist adapts to your level, slows down if you don’t understand, uses synonyms if a word is too difficult, or explains a cultural concept if they see you’re confused. AI can simulate this, but not with the same naturalness and intuition.
Human connection is irreplaceable
Yes, put pen to paper. Do things the old-fashioned way. I 100% support this approach because it’s so easy to get lost in all this modern technology, which is wonderful, by the way. You wouldn’t be reading this article today if it weren’t for modern technology, but never forget that we are human. Language is human.
And at the end of the day, simple, basic, old school face-to-face human connection and communication will always be the single most important factor in most of what we do, including learning a language.
We are human. We need language. And if you’re learning Italian, you need to learn Italian with real people. This is the point of language: connecting human beings in an authentic, creative and deeply personal way. AI can be a useful support tool, but it can never replace the richness, unpredictability and beauty of true human conversation.
If you’re interested in learning useful terms for everyday life, read this article about words, verbs and expressions for grocery shopping!
Do you want to take Italian lessons with our qualified native teachers? Purchase your Italiano Intensivo package!
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