AI IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING AND TEACHING IN PAKISTAN: A WORLD ENGLISHES PERSPECTIVE ON TRENDS, OPPORTUNITIES, CHALLENGES, AND ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS

Abstract

This study investigates AI use in learning and teaching English among Pakistani university students. Using Kachru’s World Englishes model, Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), it explores what is happening in this context, what the opportunities and challenges are, and what the ethical dimensions might be, of using AI in such contexts. Pakistani students are gradually leaning on AI tools like ChatGPT, Grammarly, QuillBot to help them in writing, grammar and vocabulary development. Although these tools increase learning opportunities, they bring a range of ethical issues to the forefront when it comes to plagiarism, academic integrity, and the potential suppression of regional varieties of English. From a World Englishes perspective, the worry is that by giving visibility to AI language models, these are likely to further perpetuate a standard British or American English, potentially impacting students’ L2 identities. This paper contends that a culturally aware, pedagogically driven design is required for the ethical and effective deployment of an AI technology in English language teaching and learning in Pakistani context. The results add to the discussion of AI language learning in the context of multilingual and postcolonial conditions.