Hadar!! What Do You Think of AI?
Should I practice with it? Is it safe? Will AI help me pursue my English goals?! How should I use it? HELP!
As you can imagine, these questions have been popping up a LOT lately. Sometimes it feels like AI crashed into our lives like a massive wave, and it can be pretty overwhelming. There’s so much to understand and think about when it comes to speaking or practicing English with… a ROBOT. AI has become a part of our lives, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. But we definitely need to talk about it.
While some of us may worry about where the world is going with AI, I also want to acknowledge that there’s a lot of good stuff happening here.
What Are Some of the PROS to Practicing with AI?
- Cheaper: Practicing with a robot is more affordable.
- Accessibility: Most of us have a mini computer in our pockets, right?
- Accuracy: It’s (usually) accurate.
- Convenience: You can practice anytime—no scheduling, no worries about getting somewhere on time or getting dressed.
Now the CONS
Human connection: In a nutshell, isn’t that what life is all about? The emotion, the friendship, the mentorship, the inspiration we draw from people around us. What happens when we don’t get these elements from our tutor or teacher?
Limitations: When you use AI, yes, you might receive accurate feedback and direct comments on your mistakes. However fluency is about more than that. It’s about being able to listen or speak in English even with distractions around you, getting used to different accents or dialects, and managing your thoughts while you’re speaking.
Therefore, I don’t want you to think you should only practice with your AI tool. To get better at something, we need to… (You know the answer) practice! There’s no way around it. If your goal is to speak English better, improve your listening skills, or just speak more clearly and fluently, ultimately, what will get us there is practicing with real people who are passionate about English too.
Let’s Sum It Up
AI is exciting, surprising, and sometimes just… jaw-dropping impressive. But in the end, having an AI tutor will only get you so far. Yes, it may give us control over building practice habits because it’s so readily available, and yes, it usually provides accurate feedback or answers.
But, there’s a reason why most English learning apps hit a “glass ceiling” when it comes to progress—they can only go so far in helping you feel like yourself when speaking English.
Lastly, I know this is a hot topic right now, so do let me know your thoughts in the comments.
4 Responses
Dear Hadar, good job! However, let me put my three cents in, if I may. AI is possibly great, but communication is still something that happens between people, in the sense that the bot does not care at all about what people say, a bot is a bot. I have been teaching English for some forty years and in my view the goal of the teaching is to help people understand each other better. Yes, the bot can train a student, but talking to a bot is a bit like talking to one’s toothbrush or slipper.
As a strong introvert, I find it easier to talk to an AI because it is available when I am ready to talk to someone. This rarely works for me on fixed dates. AI helps me to talk more often, which is good for my self-confidence. But AI can never replace a real conversation.
I agree with you. It help but it is better to talk with people.
Right now, there are program like Elsa that help with English pronunciation. I tried but I could pronoun like Elsa did. Why, everybody has differente “articulation” (Like you said on one of your pronounciation video help) to modulate a sound.( I am a latinamerican old man (92 yo)
I’m interesting for the AI English, and I want my improve in my English.