Report: How AI is transforming English learning worldwide

Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping how people around the world learn English, with implications for learners, educators and employers alike.

English remains the most widely shared language for global communication, and the 2025 edition of the English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) by Education First underscores its continued strategic importance.

According to the report, the world’s most comprehensive annual ranking of adult English skills based on data from 2.2 million test takers across 123 countries and regions, incorporates AI-powered assessment for speaking and writing for the first time, providing a richer and more complete picture of global English ability.

The index reveals widespread skill gaps across nations, with speaking emerging as the weakest skill in more than half of those measured.

Against this backdrop, AI-enabled learning tools are gaining traction, major language learning platforms are now integrating AI-driven speech recognition, real-time evaluation of productive skills, personalized curriculum pathways and adaptive difficulty adjustments to create individualized learning experiences.

“The rise of automated translation and now AI raise the question of whether learning other languages, and particularly English, will remain relevant in the future. We think the answer is yes. Robust AI translation tools are facilitating workplace training and cross-cultural communication, enabling more effective global collaboration,” the report noted.

“These technologies provide access to international research findings and help craft culturally appropriate messaging for diverse audiences. The result is more inclusive and productive international business environments. However, the spontaneity, humour and emotion of human conversation is still impossible for AI to reproduce, not to mention its dependency on connectivity and incompressible lag times that make AI-mediated conversations feel stilted.”

These innovations use learner data to identify patterns, predict when users might disengage and deploy targeted interventions, addressing long-standing challenges in self-directed language study.

One of the most significant advances has been the rise of AI-powered conversational partners that provide learners with 24/7 speaking practice, a crucial complement to reading and listening exercises.

For many users, such tools help fill persistent gaps in access to native speakers or classroom settings.

While classroom instruction remains valuable, particularly for adults who prefer face-to-face interaction, AI tutoring offers a qualitatively different form of individualized support.

According to the report, younger learners, in particular, have benefited from the near-omnipresence of connected devices and the ability to engage repeatedly with AI tutors in familiar contexts.

These systems can tailor lessons to age, profession and individual learning objectives, creating more relevant and motivating experiences.

The report added that AI is contributing to a democratization of high-quality English instruction.

By making advanced feedback and tailored practice widely accessible, AI tools have the potential to reduce global disparities in English proficiency and broaden professional opportunities for learners from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

However, the report findings also point to ongoing challenges including, speaking skills remain weak in many regions despite overall gains in other areas of proficiency, and younger adults in some countries are not outperforming older cohorts as might be expected.

“While AI enhances many aspects of language learning, it is unlikely to supplant immersive programmes abroad, which continue to appeal to learners seeking rapid acquisition and cultural engagement,” the report noted.

“AI tools may streamline administrative operations related to such programmes and support participants in unfamiliar environments, but they do not replicate the complex social and cultural dimensions of immersion.”

Despite advances in automated translation and real-time language tools, English proficiency remains a key competitive advantage in the global economy.

The report stated that, robust AI translation technologies are facilitating cross-cultural communication and access to international content, but they still fall short of capturing the spontaneity, emotion and nuance of human conversation.