AI AND CHATBOTS IN LANGUAGE TEACHING: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES IN KAZAKHSTAN

The rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming modern approaches to language education. Intelligent conversational agents, adaptive tutoring systems, and AI-supported mobile applications are now widely used in both English and Kazakh language instruction. This paper critically explores the pedagogical opportunities and systemic challenges involved in integrating AI and chatbots into language teaching in Kazakhstan. It pays particular attention to teacher readiness, technological infrastructure, ethical issues, and the wider educational implications of AI-mediated learning. The analysis indicates that although AI offers considerable potential to enhance learner engagement and instructional efficiency, its effective and sustainable adoption requires the development of digital competence, evidence-based pedagogical decision-making, and culturally relevant educational frameworks.