The drive for internationalization in higher education has accelerated over the past two decades, reshaping how universities teach, collaborate, and move knowledge across borders. Central to this transformation are not only institutional partnerships and student exchange programs, but the more subtle and powerful roles of language, literature, and culture. These elements shape how students understand the world and how universities construct global learning spaces. English has taken on the role of academic lingua franca, simplifying international communication. Yet, its dominance raises complex questions about equity, inclusion, and cultural diversity. At the same time, we’re witnessing rapid developments in artificial intelligence (AI) that promise to radically alter how we think about access, communication, and language learning in higher education. Against this backdrop, the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) has set a clear goal: by 2030, at least 20% of graduates should have studied or trained abroad (European University Association, 2023). To reach this target, we must reconsider whether English alone can carry the weight of internationalization, or whether a more multilingual, AI-supported approach is needed.