THE ROLE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELIGENCE IN DEVELOPING COMMUNICATION SKILLS IN BUSINESS ENGLISH COURSES

The globalization of our lives has made business collaborations possible all over the world. The appearance of the new technologies has made the work easier in all domains of our lives. Digitalisation and virtualisation have both brought along a reality where individuals and societies, on the whole, have to face a lot of communication challenges. Therefore, students must be prepared accordingly. The pandemic has somehow altered the landscape of our lives, forcing us to accept technology as the most reliable source for us to continue functioning in our domains. All kinds of reforms, including an educational one, have been taking place all over the world, as the desire to operate successfully in world markets, is increasing day by day. The technological development, the emergence of various forms of artificial intelligence has led to the challenge of integrating different kinds of digital realities into the teaching process. Thus, it is essential for the teachers to create opportunities for new learning experiences that are relevant, meaningful and engaging to students. Many teachers, researchers and scholars know that a substantial part of mastering a foreign language is the vocabulary. The available research shows that the development of vocabulary can be easily achieved by using digital tools, since it is a known fact that today’s students belong to Generation Z, generation known as being digitally literate, having grown up with a lot of digital tools at hand. The present paper is based on our research, undergone through semi-structured interview, in the qualitative phase, as an instrument for data collection. The sample of the study consists of 25 students at the Faculty of Economic Sciences, University of Oradea, first and second year of study. The authors want to research how today’s technology influences the development of communication skills in Business English students. It approaches the topic by offering an image on the existing literature and research on the possible uses of Artificial Intelligence in Business English classes and its longterm effects in developing communication skills.