A Review of Opportunities and Challenges of Artificial Intelligence Chatbots in Second Language Acquisition

Recent years have witnessed a rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI) and its penetration in all dimensions of human life. The advancements in AI have ushered in innovative tools with profound implications for language learning. Notably, AI chatbots, recognized for their adeptness in executing natural language processing functions, are offering new affordances for humans to interact with emerging technologies. This paper examined the studies on the application of AI chatbots in second language acquisition (SLA), aiming to reveal the opportunities and benefits of integrating AI chatbots in the context of SLA. Meanwhile, this study highlights the challenges in using AI chatbots and provides pedagogical and technical suggestions for future research.