Dr Protiva Rani Karmaker

April Chamberlain once observed, “Education is evolving due to the impact of the Internet. We cannot teach our students in the same manner in which we were taught. Change is necessary to engage students not in the curriculum we are responsible for teaching, but in school. Period.” John Dewey also noted, “If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow.”

In this age of constant growth, globalisation, and widespread access to digital platforms, the increasing influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its tools is beginning to revolutionise various sectors, particularly education, and the way teaching and learning are approached. Our lives have become an open window. Living in a technology-saturated environment, we should therefore embrace new tools to add extra benefits to our educational systems.

These technologies can simulate workplace scenarios, provide task-based communication practice, and enable learners to rehearse professional conversations in a low-pressure environment. Furthermore, as today’s job market becomes increasingly globalised, proficiency in English has become inseparable from employability success. Employers in multinational companies and international organisations consistently prioritise candidates who can express ideas clearly in English, collaborate with foreign colleagues, and write professionally.

AI-based learning systems can directly support this demand by offering personalised and interactive communication modules. They can help learners develop confidence through continuous feedback on pronunciation, tone, and structure – areas in which traditional classroom methods often fall short due to large class sizes and limited individual guidance. If universities strategically align AI-supported English courses with real-world employability needs, graduates will not only improve their linguistic competence but also enhance their global competitiveness.

However, the integration of AI in language education should not focus solely on technological innovation; it must also consider curriculum alignment and teacher preparedness. Recent findings from Bangladeshi universities highlight the need to redesign English courses to include more practical, industry-oriented content. Teachers should be trained to use AI tools effectively to create authentic communicative tasks, while students should be encouraged to use technology responsibly to strengthen both academic and workplace skills. Institutions can also collaborate with industry stakeholders to ensure that the communicative outcomes of AI-assisted learning reflect professional realities. In this way, AI does not merely become a tool for learning English – it becomes an educational bridge between universities and the job market.

Ultimately, integrating insights from employability research into discussions about AI in English Language Teaching (ELT) underlines a crucial point: technology alone cannot ensure success unless its use is guided by practical, communicative goals. AI can supplement traditional pedagogy by offering adaptive, feedback-rich environments, but genuine communicative growth depends on meaningful interaction, cultural understanding, and real-life application. Therefore, in Bangladesh’s evolving education system, the balanced integration of AI, EdTech, and human-centred communication training holds the promise of preparing students not only to speak English effectively but also to succeed professionally in a global context.

AI tools such as ChatGPT, DeepSeek, Gemini, and others have recently attracted attention due to their potential to personalise learning, provide instant feedback, and create interactive, test-like practice environments (Shabur et al., 2025). Since speaking skills in the EFL context are deemed vital for graduates’ employability in Bangladesh, particularly at the tertiary level, we should consider incorporating AI-based applications into EFL classes. Such integration could mark a breakthrough in overcoming conventional challenges to language learning, particularly in speaking courses with large class sizes, where students often lack sufficient opportunities for oral practice and immediate feedback (Islam et al., 2024).

According to Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory, social interaction plays a crucial role in the learning process. This theory demonstrates how, as a scaffolding tool, technology can support students’ language development through interactive reflection and feedback (Tarannum et al., 2025). The use of computer technology in language teaching has also introduced new dimensions, such as AI’s role in facilitating intellectual pursuits through interactive exercises and personalised learning paths. However, the application of AI in second language (L2) classrooms, especially for developing speaking skills, remains in its early stages in Bangladesh, with limited research examining learners’ perceptions and practical classroom integration.

In addition, attention must be given to curriculum designers, trained teachers, learners, educational technology developers, and institutional support systems. It is essential to understand how AI tools are perceived by students and how they function in practice within Bangladesh, so that their use in education can be appropriately guided in the future. Nonetheless, it is recommended not to depend entirely on AI for enhancing speaking skills. The competence acquired through repeated individual practice can never be fully replicated by Artificial Intelligence. Effective speaking requires mastery of delivery, including a pleasant and appropriate tone, suitable word choice, body language, emotional connection, and eye contact – areas in which AI may offer limited assistance.

Writing, another key pillar of communication, remains an essential skill for documenting individual thoughts, expressing ideas clearly and persuasively, and performing numerous professional and personal tasks. To promote professional credibility, enhance academic success, facilitate understanding, and foster critical thinking and creativity, we must develop strong writing abilities. AI writing assistants have become increasingly popular among professionals, revolutionising how we approach written communication. Through such tools, users can refine their writing and generate new ideas. When tackling demanding tasks, we may temporarily rely on AI to systematically improve our writing, as it offers immediate feedback, suggestions, and guidance.
However, in data integration, collection, presentation, and in writing research papers, stories, literary texts, or personal essays, we should not depend on AI more than on our own creativity, research, knowledge, and authentic sources. Personal insights, extensive reading, and critical investigation are irreplaceable. AI should serve only as a supplementary aid in these processes.

Turning to the challenges of implementing AI tools in ELT in Bangladesh, it is evident that such initiatives are still at a preliminary stage. The potential value of these technologies in addressing long-standing challenges in English language teaching and learning has not been ignored. Hossain and Al Hasan (2023) emphasise the importance and implications of EdTech in EFL in Bangladesh, stressing that innovations are indispensable for progress in language teaching and learning. Their work demonstrates how EdTech can address issues such as large class sizes, insufficient exposure to interactive speaking opportunities, and delayed feedback on speaking activities.

Using AI technologies such as ChatGPT and Gemini could therefore provide Bangladeshi EFL learners with opportunities to practise speaking in interactive, feedback-rich environments. According to Islam et al. (2024), one major challenge for Bangladeshi universities is overcrowded classrooms, which prevent effective speaking activities from taking place. AI tools can help by allowing students to practise speaking independently. Although AI-based language learning tools are becoming increasingly popular in Bangladesh, there remains a need for more studies investigating their local use and effectiveness.
While some research has explored the integration of EdTech tools for teaching reading and writing, little attention has been given to the use of AI in enhancing speaking skills among Bangladeshi EFL learners. As Sultana and Faruk (2024) found, many institutions in Bangladesh still rely on traditional teaching systems, such as face-to-face conversations and oral examinations, which may not meet students’ needs, particularly in large classes. In such circumstances, we may consider adopting AI in English language learning through a guided and research-informed approach.
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The writer is a Professor of English at the Institute of Modern Languages, Jagannath University