Saudi EFL Learners’ Perceptions and Usage of AI Applicationsin Enhancing English Speaking Skills

This study explores Saudi EFL students' familiarity with, perceptions of, and usage patterns of AI applications to enhance their speaking ‎skills, considering gender and academic track differences. A structured questionnaire has been created to capture the participants’ perceptions, attitudes, and practices related to using AI applications in developing their English-speaking skills. The results indicate a high level of ‎familiarity and positive perceptions of AI tools among students, yet their actual usage remains moderate. This discrepancy suggests the ‎existence of barriers that impede the full integration of AI applications into language learning practices.‎ Gender-based analysis reveals that female students exhibit higher familiarity, perception, and usage of AI applications compared to their ‎male counterparts. Furthermore, differences among academic tracks indicate that health students adopt AI applications at a higher rate than ‎engineering students. The study underscores the potential of AI applications in enhancing EFL students' speaking proficiency while identifying challenges that limit their widespread adoption‎.