Researchers tested bilingual AI models against eye-tracking data from people with 12 different first languages, all reading English. Models trained on the reader's own language predicted their reading times better than English-only models did.
When you read in a second language, your first language still shapes the process, and the effect shows up in eye movements, strongest for intermediate learners. AI trained on both languages can trace this influence. That matters for anyone learning a language, because one-size-fits-all reading models miss how learners actually read.
✦ The language you learned first still shapes how you read your second.