The Challenges of Artificial Intelligence in the English Language Teaching, Learning, and Academic Publications

In our first volume in 2024, we discussed the challenges posed by ChatGPT. We noted that the rapid advancement of technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) has created a complex mix of fear, excitement, and concerns within academia. Despite initial worries surrounding the release of the first version of ChatGPT in November 2022, millions of people around the world have welcomed various artificial intelligence applications and tools. Since its launch, ChatGPT has experienced significant growth in its user base. OpenAI has set a target of reaching one billion users by the end of 2025 (Duarte, 2025).The concern about AI in academic life was mainly about plagiarism and academic integrity, assessment challenges, and evaluating learning. AI also might not develop critical skills like writing, reasoning, or coding skills that are supposed to be part of their academic formation. Despite the concerns, many educators are also excited about AI’s potential to personalize learning, support students with disabilities, help with language barriers, and offer instant feedback.There are several AI tools available now: ChatGPT, Canva, Gemini, Copilot, Grok, Claude, etc., but ChatGPT stands out as the leading and most popular tool in language programming. Additionally, Microsoft offers free training for anyone looking to enhance and deepen their AI skills in various languages, including Arabic.Although Chinese DeepSeek was founded in 2023, it released its language model, DeepSeek-R1, in January 2025. DeepSeek has surpassed ChatGPT in downloads, becoming the most downloaded free app. This development highlights the growing competitiveness of global AI advancements and poses a significant challenge to ChatGPT’s established presence. (Mingyue, 2025).One of the latest developments in AI is the “Stargate Plan.” This initiative involves a $500 billion investment by OpenAI, SoftBank, Oracle, and MGX to build advanced AI data centers. The goal of the project is to create a strong foundation for the development and deployment of advanced AI models, including large language models (LLMs), by the year 2029. (Wheatley, 2025).Furthermore, most academic institutions aim to foster the growth of skilled faculty to drive innovation, look for practical insights into how institutions can strengthen academic integrity to build an ethical future, and prepare for future challenges, ultimately engaging in world-class research.With the rapid advancements in AI, significant investments, and intense competition, it is crucial to recognize that predicting the future of AI development is highly challenging. These advancements are transforming many facets of human life. According to Geoffrey Hinton, often referred to as the “Godfather of AI,” and recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2024, AI has the potential to “exceed human intelligence,” and he warns that “the world is not prepared for what’s coming.” Hinton, who was the vice president of Google, resigned in 2023. He also stated, “There’s a 50-50 chance A.I. will get smarter than us. When it gets smarter than us, I don’t know what the probability is that it will take over, but it seems to me quite likely.” (Tremayne-Pengelly, 2024, para.8).AI will undoubtedly continue to impact our academic lives significantly, and we remain uncertain about the extent of the gap that will emerge between the newborn digital generation (Generation Z) and those of us who are adapting to this revolutionized artificial intelligence age.With all these challenges and the development of AI, we are releasing our new special issue on “The Challenges of Artificial Intelligence in English Language Teaching, Learning, and Academic Publications”. This volume explores the role of artificial intelligence across various areas of the English language. Topics covered include: artificial intelligence tools in English for specific purposes, the pros and cons of ChatGPT in foreign language teaching, using ChatGPT in writing essays, AI tools for enhancing writing proficiency, artificial Intelligence’s Impact on English teaching quality in Moroccan high schools, AI in enhancing reading comprehension, using ChatGPT in enhancing Master’s thesis, ChatGPT as a writing tool in Moroccan higher education, evaluating the efficacy of AI-powered tools, the impact of AI on critical thinking, the Influence of ChatGPT on English grammar and others. Each topic of this volume examines how artificial intelligence affects various aspects of the English language and education.We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of all authors whose work has enriched this volume, and we regret that, due to editorial considerations, not all submitted papers could be included.