Using Artificial Intelligence Tools to Develop Students’ Foreign Language Communicative Competence in Wartime

Abstract

The article reports on a 12-week pedagogical experiment on the integration of AI-based tools into distance English instruction for non-linguistic students at a Ukrainian university operating under wartime and relocation conditions. Eight groups (N = 104) were divided into a control group (traditional distance learning) and an experimental group (traditional distance learning + AI tools for speaking, listening, reading, and writing). Pre-/post-testing showed learning gains in both groups, but the experimental group achieved markedly higher progress, especially in speaking (+15 pp) and listening (+17 pp), which suggests that AI-supported interactive practice can partially compensatefor reduced teacher–student contact in emergency online teaching. At the same time, improvements in reading and writing were more modest, highlighting the need for more targeted AI-supported writing tasks. The study discusses the benefits (personalisation,immediate feedback, motivational effect) and risks (overreliance on AI, academic integrity, unequal internet access) of AI integration in wartime language education.