How does artificial intelligence empower EFL teaching and learning nowadays? A review on artificial intelligence in the EFL context

The booming Artificial Intelligence (AI) provides fertile ground for AI in education. So far, few reviews have been deployed to explore how AI empowers English as Foreign Language (EFL) teaching and learning. This study attempts to give a brief yet profound overview of AI in the EFL context by summarizing and delineating six dominant forms of AI application, including Automatic Evaluation Systems, Neural Machine Translation Tools, Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITSs), AI Chatting Robots, Intelligent Virtual Environment, and Affective Computing (AC) in ITSs. The review furthermore uncovers a current paucity of research on applying AC in the EFL context and exploring pedagogical and ethical implications of AI in the EFL context. Ultimately, challenges from technical and teachers' perspectives, as well as future research directions, are illuminated, hopefully proffering new insights for the future study.