ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN THE PRACTICE OF TEACHING ENGLISH: A DIDACTIC RESOURCE OR A METHODOLOGICAL RISK

Abstract

As a result of the study, the authors analysed contemporary scientific approaches to the use of artificial intelligence in English language teaching, as well as empirical data on the attitudes of higher education students towards the use of AI tools in foreign language training. It was found that artificial intelligence is increasingly used by students as an auxiliary teaching resource to explain grammatical phenomena, check their own mistakes, prepare oral answers, and increase confidence. At the same time, a number of methodological risks have been identified, related to a possible decrease in the level of academic independence, a weakening of critical thinking, the formation of formulaic speech, and a violation of the principles of academic integrity. The study highlights key problematic aspects of integrating artificial intelligence into foreign language education, in particular the limited ability of artificial intelligence to interpret cultural and pragmatic nuances of speech, the insufficient emotional sensitivity of digital systems, and the need for clear pedagogical and ethical regulation of their use. The above determines the relevance of finding the optimal balance between the didactic potential of artificial intelligence and the possible methodological risks of its uncontrolled use in the educational process. In the course of our research, we tried to make the most of the potential of comprehensive, competence-based and systematic scientific approaches, which allowed us to consider artificial intelligence not as a substitute for a teacher, but as a tool for pedagogical support and individualisation of learning. We concluded that the effective implementation of AI in English language teaching is only possible with a methodologically balanced, human-centred approach that ensures the development of foreign language communication skills, reflective learning and the preservation of the leading role of the teacher in the organisation of the educational process.