THE ROLE OF AI IN ENGLISH EDUCATION: OPPORTUNITIES, CHALLENGES, AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS

Abstract

This paper examines the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in English Language Teaching (ELT), synthesizing recent scholarship, classroom practices, and policy guidance to map opportunities, challenges, and future directions. We review major AI applications intelligent tutoring, NLP-driven feedback, automated assessment, conversational agents, and speech technologies and show how they enable personalization, real-time formative assessment, and expanded speaking/listening practice while improving accessibility for diverse learners. At the same time, we identify critical risks: over-reliance that can dampen critical thinking and originality; bias and accuracy issues in language models and speech recognition; academic integrity concerns around AI-assisted text; and structural inequities tied to data privacy, infrastructure, and teacher readiness. Two illustrative cases AI feedback in EFL writing and AI support for academic writing demonstrate measurable gains when tools are embedded within transparent, pedagogically aligned frameworks and sustained human guidance. Building on this synthesis, the paper proposes a balanced integration agenda: clear usage policies, curriculum-embedded AI literacy, teacher professional development, equity-oriented infrastructure investments, and ethics-by-design procurement. We argue that AI can augment, not replace, the uniquely human dimensions of ELT empathy, cultural mediation, and dialogic scaffolding when adoption is principled, inclusive, and evidence-informed. The paper concludes with research and policy priorities to guide ethical, scalable, and context-sensitive AI use in English education.