ASHA 2025: 5 Critical Topics for the AI-Future of SLP

The American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) held their annual convention in Washington D.C. at the end of November 2025. It was a pleasure to meet so many members of the SLPs Talk Tech community in person! While some of us were presenting, others were staying busy in the exhibit hall. This year’s convention gave us the opportunity to learn and share new reflections and findings. I was impressed by our colleagues’ AI-powered tools, research, and treatment strategies currently being tested and deployed, slowly shifting our world of work.

AI took center stage in over 40 sessions and posters, multiple short courses, a pre-convention AI symposium, and in products available for purchase. From talk titles to product demonstrations, there was no shortage of opportunities to learn about AI and speech pathology. The convention felt like a tipping point where AI moved from a speculative future to a practical reality for our field. With an abundance of tools to explore, it seemed that many more professionals are ready to experiment and explore in the AI and CSD sandbox. However, many also appear to be waiting for more guidance, specific recommendations that reflect AI bias, and for tools that have been tested over time.

The purpose of exploring AI is not to master every tool or solve all professional challenges at once. Many of us are learning about AI in clinical practice as a response to a shifting professional landscape. This year’s convention presented the opportunity for our field to move forward with a new, shared professional learning goal: Moving toward AI readiness and AI literacy.

ASHA 2025 showed us what an AI-empowered SLP looks like, prioritizing both AI readiness and literacy. Many sessions addressed current gaps and proposed solutions in AI readiness (infrastructure and policy) so that organizations can navigate this new tech era. It was also thrilling to hear so many clinicians and researchers highlighting the importance of AI literacy.

As communication experts, SLPs are well positioned to approach tools that use Generative AI (Gen AI) with confidence. We can be a part of the solution, ensuring that the technology is developed and deployed responsibly for the benefit of our clients. Given the sheer scope of AI’s integration, the worst thing we can do is ignore it. It is imperative that we, as clinicians, do not shy away from what’s coming next.

Integrating AI readiness and AI literacy into our clinical practice at a snail’s pace is better than bowing out of the conversation altogether. This incremental approach ensures that we are thoughtfully engaging with the ethical, practical, and clinical implications of new technology, rather than being overtaken by it. We must commit to understanding fundamental AI concepts, evaluating tools critically, and preparing ourselves and our practices for a future where intelligent systems are commonplace.

Our pace of adoption and integration likely reflects our clinical training, which prioritizes rigorous clinical validation and careful ethical scrutiny over the speed of adoption. However, to bow out is to risk losing our seat at the table, allowing non-clinicians to shape the future of CSD without our critical input. There were many valuable sessions that touched on AI, but what I found the most inspiring were the conversations sparked by these sessions. Whether during the Q&A or as a follow-up with the presenters, it was evident that many SLPs are preparing to be informed participants in the conversation surrounding AI and CSD.

5 Critical Topics for AI Readiness and Literacy

These five topics surfaced repeatedly at ASHA 2025. It would be impossible to name all the brave SLPs, researchers, and innovators who stepped up to lead the conversation on AI, but their collective work moved the dialogue forward. Although the main takeaways are numbered below, each represents a critical area to consider when advancing AI readiness and AI literacy.

1. Establishing Foundational AI and Gen AI Literacy. Professional development programs must move past simply highlighting the perceived “magic” and potential of AI and Gen AI. Instead, the priority must be establishing a solid, practical understanding of fundamental AI concepts to equip SLPs for ethical use.

2. Balancing AI literacy with graduate student supervision. CSD educators are at a key moment because AI is fast becoming a core part of professional and student life. CSD faculty need guidance on Gen AI’s current abilities and to understand where the technology is going. This balance may shift teaching practices to become more dynamic, creating courses and tools that teach future SLPs how to create and evaluate AI for generating clinical notes, analyzing data, or simulating difficult patient situations.

3. How SLPs can leverage technology to improve workflow. Even as we begin to experiment with incomplete and imperfect AI tools to meet some needs of our workflow needs, we need domain experts to critically evaluate ‘AI-powered’ tools from a technical, ethical, and pedagogical perspective.

4. The next wave of digital health innovations. “Digital health refers to the integration and use of digital technologies in healthcare, transforming how professionals deliver care, how patients engage in their health, and how systems operate.” This wave requires us to consider how these innovations impact equitable access to care, particularly for clients in rural or underserved areas. We must understand the critical distinction between a health-tech gadget and a medical device, recommending only those technologies that have a clear evidence base for our patient population.

5. How to advise patients as they adopt novel technology tools. We must ensure that direct access learning opportunities for professionals provide experiential learning prior to recommending how AI-powered technologies may enhance the lives of people with communication disorders. When considering the fit of a new tool, we must ask critical questions:

   1. Does the client have the condition the technology focuses on?

   2. And does the individual have the ability to advocate about their experience with the technology?

Thank you to all the SLPs who talked about the future of AI and Tech at ASHA 2025. We will be highlighting many of their sessions in the newsletters to come. If there is something you want to make sure we address, please send us a message or email at Leila@SLPsTalkTech.com.