Owing to various challenges, the traditional middle school English teaching methods have been widely criticized. Meanwhile, the new English Curriculum Standards introduced by the Ministry of Education forwards new requirements for middle school English teaching. However, the crisis persists along with the integration and advancement of information technology and English courses. The application of artificial intelligence in teaching provides a new opportunity to optimize the English teaching process in middle school and a novel platform to create an intelligent and individualized English teaching environment. With the continuous development of network technology, the continuous enrichment of network resources, and the advancement of artificial intelligence research, the human-computer interaction in network virtual space moves toward humanization and individuation. In addition, the openness, sharing, and interactivity, as well as the infinite expansion of information resources and its permeation in education greatly change the learning environment of students, which also expands the instruction of English. This released the power of technological change as the power to control and direct it is minimal. The promotion of students' self-identification, self-selection, self-control, self-cultivation, self-learning ability development, and improved students' internal learning motivation in English teaching and learning in the context of artificial intelligence challenges the original classroom teaching methods and presents new requirements for the quality and ability involved in classroom teaching.