The use of artificial intelligence (chatgpt, duolingo, grammarly) іn foreign language teaching at higher education institutions

Abstract

A few years ago, when students in English classes began quietly switching between browser tabs, most instructors had little idea what was actually happening on those screens. Today, the picture looks entirely different: AI-powered tools have stepped out of the shadows and become fully-fledged participants in the educational process — whether officially sanctioned or not. According to an EdTech Ukraine (2023) survey, over 74% of students enrolled in language-related and economics programmes regularly turn to at least one AI service when preparing for foreign language classes. This comes as no surprise. ChatGPT offers instant feedback and unlimited practice of live communicative language; Duolingo transforms daily vocabulary revision into a gamified process with its own internal engagement logic; Grammarly functions as a tireless editor capable of explaining the reason behind every error. Together, they address three longstanding pain points in university language education: insufficient individualisation, limited out-of-class practice, and the absence of immediate feedback. At the same time, widespread and unsystematic adoption of these tools confronts the pedagogical community with a question that remains largely unanswered: what role do AI services actually play in developing foreign language competence — that of an effective instrument, or a convenient substitute for genuine communicative effort? This paper is an attempt to answer that question through lived classroom experience rather than abstract theoretical constructs.