This book offers a structural re-examination of language use and role in higher education, challenging the assumption that English monolingualism and English-Medium Instruction (EMI) are necessary conditions for academic internationalization. Drawing on interdisciplinary research, it shows that the current model is not a neutral medium, but introduces measurable cognitive, pedagogical, and institutional costs, affecting learning effectiveness, classroom interaction, epistemic diversity, and monetary costs. These effects arise from a structural feature of monolingual systems: the use of a single operational language for both knowledge production and accessibility. Learning in a non-native language inevitably introduces cognitive load that cannot be eliminated, even at high levels of proficiency. As a result, EMI functions as a persistent trade-off between global accessibility and educational quality.

Recent advances in AI-mediated language technology significantly change these constraints. Building on these developments, this book introduces the concept of the Artificial Intelligence–mediated Native Multilingual University (UMNIA), a model in which teaching and learning take place in the most cognitively efficient language (typically the native language), while global accessibility is ensured through real-time AI translation and mediation.

The book develops conceptual foundations, technical and economic feasibility, and institutional implications, proposing a shift from monolingual internationalization to a structurally redesigned multilingual system.

This volume is intended for researchers in higher education, science education and linguistics, as well as university leaders, policy makers, and practitioners involved in internationalization and academic system design.

JACOPO PARRAVICINI is Senior Assistant Professor (RTDB) at the Department of Physics and Astronomy of the University of Florence, a member of the European Laboratory for Nonlinear Spectroscopy (LENS) and an associate researcher at the CNR-INO. He received his PhD in Photonics from the University of Pavia and has held research positions in Italy and France, including at the Université de Franche-Comté, Sapienza University of Rome, University of Milano-Bicocca, etc. His research background spans cold atoms, quantum simulations, dielectric materials, nonlinear optics, advanced materials, photonics, and foundations of physics.
He is the author of over 80 publications, including peer-reviewed journal articles, conference proceedings, and books with Springer. Alongside his experimental work, his research has progressively developed strong interdisciplinary components connecting physics, mathematics, and the structural organization of knowledge.
In this context, his recent work explores systemic aspects of knowledge production and accessibility in higher education, with particular attention to language, multilingualism, use of AI-technologies for knowledge, and international academic environments. His work investigates how these dimensions can be addressed through technological and structural solutions, forming the basis of the UMNIA proposal for an AI-enabled multilingual university.

MARCO BIFFI is Full Professor of Italian Linguistics at the University of Florence. He is a full member of the Accademia della Crusca, an Honorary Member of the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno, and an associate researcher at the CNR Institute for Computational Linguistics in Pisa. He received his degree in the History of the Italian Language from the University of Florence and completed advanced studies at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa.
His research focuses on the history of the Italian language, specialised and technical languages, digital linguistics, lexicography, and language policy in academic and institutional contexts. He has directed and contributed to major projects on linguistic corpora, digital dictionaries, and large-scale language resources, with particular attention to the relationship between language, knowledge transmission, and public communication.
He has held several academic and institutional roles, including leadership positions within the University of Florence and national research projects. His work combines historical linguistic expertise with digital methods and contemporary issues related to multilingualism, accessibility, and the role of digital and AI-based tools in higher education. In this perspective, he contributes to the UMNIA proposal for an AI-native multilingual university that separates disciplinary learning from the use of English as a global lingua franca.