GENERATIVE AI IN ALGERIAN EDUCATION:

Abstract

This study explores the impact of Generative Artificial Intelligence on student agency and language learning practices in the Algerian higher education context. It focuses on Algerian EFL learners' attitudes toward the use of generative AI and examines how human–AI collaboration is reshaping educational experiences, learner autonomy, and ethical engagement with digital technologies. The study involves EFL students from different Algerian universities. In Algerian EFL classrooms, language learning is still largely based on traditional teacher-centered approaches, which often limit opportunities for interaction and autonomous learning. Generative AI technologies, however, provide learners with personalized feedback, adaptive learning experiences, and interactive language practice that may enhance engagement and independent learning. At the same time, their growing presence in education raises ethical concerns related to academic integrity, overreliance on AI tools, digital inequality, and responsible use of technology. Using a mixed-methods approach based on semi-structured surveys, this study investigates the extent to which Algerian EFL learners use generative AI for language learning, their perceptions of ethical human–AI collaboration, and the challenges influencing on effective implementation. The findings reveal that although the use of generative AI remains limited due to infrastructural constraints such as weak internet connectivity and insufficient technological resources, EFL students still hold positive perspectives toward its educational potential. The study concludes that generative AI can foster educational transformation in Algeria by promoting learner autonomy, digital literacy, and ethically informed human–AI collaboration in language education.