Ethical <scp>AI</scp> in language education: A Delphi study focusing on social and emotional aspects of learning

Abstract Language learning is under the influence of many factors, including social and emotional aspects. In this regard, teachers play a pivotal role in language education; however, developments in technology, particularly in artificial intelligence (AI) technology, have started to change the roles of teachers and the atmosphere of the language learning environment. AI technology offers lots of opportunities to enhance language education, whereas it brings along ethical considerations. To date, some previous studies have focused on ethical considerations for AI use, mostly in higher education; nevertheless, there has been observed a lack in the studies establishing ethical guidelines for AI use in language education with a special and direct focus on social and emotional aspects of learning with the help of expert language educators' ideas. Therefore, the present study follows the procedure of the Delphi Method with the experts to create guidelines that may be helpful for language educators and researchers. At the end of the three‐round Delphi study, a guideline including 43 items was created, and the themes of the guideline were discussed with previous studies, their relationship with the social and emotional aspects of learning and their importance. The established guideline holds a significant feature for language educators, language learners, developers and researchers in the field of language education.