The Language Awareness (LA) movement now looks back on more than three decades of research, development, and professional dialogue. Its significance is reflected in the journal Language Awareness and in the work of the Association for Language Awareness, both of which have shaped the field since its early days. In this introductory digital talk, I will briefly revisit the origins of the LA movement, outline how the LA construct has evolved, and discuss its growing relevance in the AI era. A particular emphasis will be placed on linguistic diversity and linguistic identity.

 Today, more than 7,000 languages are spoken worldwide. Yet only a few hundred major languages are represented on the internet and in AI applications. This imbalance raises concerns about the protection of individual language rights and the digital visibility of minoritized languages. As AI tools become widely used in private life, education, and professional contexts, the absence of clear language standards, prompting norms, and competence definitions becomes increasingly challenging.

AI systems now influence nearly all educational fields and shape a substantial portion of social interaction. Because these systems are built on data and design choices that inevitably reflect ideology, belief, and bias, language awareness becomes more essential than ever. In this talk, I will demonstrate how AI can be used and tested critically, and how an expanded form of AI language awareness can be fostered to support linguistic diversity, protect linguistic identity, and strengthen equitable participation in AI‑mediated environments.