Can an AI agent replace human examiners in high-stakes interactive speaking tests? A debate

Abstract

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is advancing at a remarkable speed, and its promise in transforming current practice in language assessment has been articulated by applied linguistics researchers. An emerging application of GenAI is to integrate the technology into spoken dialogue systems (SDSs) to simulate human interlocutors for the purpose of speaking practice or assessment. Despite rapid technological advances, the issue of whether an AI agent can replace a human examiner in one-on-one, high-stakes interactive speaking tests remains contentious. Building on a lively academic debate on this topic at the 2025 Language Testing Research Colloquium in Bangkok, this Viewpoint presents arguments both for and against this proposition in terms of construct theory, practicality, washback, fairness, ethical uses of AI, and so forth.