THE USE OF AI TOOLS IN ESP WITH A FOCUS ON ENGINEERING COURSES

Abstract

Due to great advancements in technology, the 21st century has been turned into an era of digital revolution where the Artificial Intelligence emerged in more and more fields of activity, including education and the teaching and studying of foreign languages. The present paper adopts an exploratory approach based on the analysis of current AI tools which may be used in the ESP instruction by teachers and students to mark a transformative shift towards a successful and meaningful process of language acquisition. It relies on both personal teaching experience and the perspective of students majoring in Electrical Engineering at the University of Craiova, Romania when it comes to the use of AI platforms to improve their knowledge of the language. The AI-driven tools which provide context-specific language instruction offer instant feedback, domain-specific interactions, the prospect of autonomous practice, premises for an efficient teaching and learning process. Yet, a successful integration of AI depends on pedagogical, ethical and practical factors.