Reconceptualizing AI in English Language: Prospects and Challenges in Higher Education

Abstract

Higher education has been transformed very rapidly by AI and more so in English language teaching and learning. This paper reconceptualizes the role of AI in English language education on the opportunities and issues of AI in higher education. In accordance with the existing studies, the literature review determines the possibilities of AI to enhance the process of the personalized learning, translanguaging, and academic writing pedagogy, along with ethical concerns, emotionality, and institutional readiness. The conceptual framing puts the AI on a sociocultural and critical pedagogy framework and views it as a two-sided tool, and a cultural agent. Opportunities and risks are also incorporated in the discussion and ideas of how to integrate responsibly are proposed. The conclusion gives a call to adopt a balanced approach, ethical stance and cross-disciplinary collaboration to ensure that AI has a critical impact in teaching English language in higher education.