AI-POWERED CHATBOTS AS TEACHING ASSISTANTS IN EFL CLASSROOMS: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

Abstract

AI chatbots are neither a revolution nor a threat — they are a tool, and like any tool, their value depends entirely on how thoughtfully they are used. In my experience, the most effective approach is to treat them as preparation for class rather than a replacement for it: students use AI to practice, draft, and explore, and then bring that work into the human space of the classroom for real discussion, critique, and refinement. What is needed now is not more enthusiasm about AI, but more honest, practice-based research — particularly from non-anglophone educational contexts like Ukraine — on what these tools actually produce in terms of long-term language development.