Integrating Artificial Intelligence to Support English for Specific Purposes Instruction

The increasing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into educational contexts has created new opportunities towards English for Specific Purposes (ESP) instruction. However, many lecturers lack systematic guidance on how to effectively incorporate AI into their teaching and material development practices. This study aims to explore ESP lecturers’ experiences, challenges, and professional needs related to the AI-supported teaching in higher education. In this context, structured interviews were conducted with 16 ESP lecturers who work for several universities, and the data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed major themes concerning current use of AI and digital tools, AI-supported instructional practices, barriers to AI integration, student-related challenges, and AI-oriented professional needs. The results indicate that although lecturers demonstrate generally positive attitudes toward AI, they encounter significant difficulties related to limited training opportunities, time constraints, overreliance on AI, and limited critical evaluation of AI outputs. Based on these findings, the study proposes an AI-supported ESP material development framework for supporting lecturers to systematically integrate AI into their instructional practices. This research contributes to the growing field of technology-enhanced language learning. It offers practical implications for ESP lecturers, curriculum designers, and material developers seeking to enhance the effectiveness of AI-supported instruction.