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چکیده
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Abstract With the advent of the Internet and online tools, there was speculation that this might mark the culmination of humanity's digital progress. However, the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and its various iterations has demonstrated the birth of a new generation of digital tools. Among these, chatbots have gained significant popularity. A chatbot, an online AI tool capable of engaging in textual or voice-based communication with humans, represents one such example. The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of employing an artificial intelligence chatbot on the reading and writing skills of Iranian EFL students. This study adopted an experimental research design, incorporating a comparative approach. To this end, a pre-test, post-test, and structured interview were employed as assessment instruments. The study encompassed a total of 60 high school students from a school situated in the city of Dehloran, within the Ilam province of Iran. The participants were divided into two homogenous groups, each comprising 30 students. One group was provided with a chatbot named "Replika" to explore the effects of integrating it into an EFL classroom setting. Based on the findings derived from this study, the group utilizing the chatbot demonstrated notable advancements in their reading and writing skills, as evidenced by their test scores. Chatbots possess the capability to acquire certain user preferences and interests, thereby endowing learners and users with a highly individualized mode of education. Furthermore, these intelligent systems can promptly furnish learners with feedback. Consequently, this not only enhances the overall sense of creativity but also augments the quality of classroom practice sessions. Keywords: Artificial Intelligence in Language Learning; Artificial Intelligence; Electronic Learning; Chatbots; CALL (computer-assisted language learning)
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