ABSTRACT
This article reviews how chatbots and AI assistants are being used in foreign language learning, with a focus on both learning effectiveness and student experience. It is based on a qualitative document analysis of foundational studies, systematic reviews, conceptual publications, and recent research on conversational AI in language education. The reviewed literature includes early text-based chatbots, dialogue systems for writing and speaking support, voice-based tools, and newer generative AI systems such as ChatGPT. Overall, the evidence suggests that chatbots and AI assistants can expand opportunities for practice, provide quick responses, support learner autonomy, and make speaking or writing tasks feel less intimidating. Students often appreciate these tools because they are available at any time, respond quickly, and offer a lower-pressure space for trial and error, particularly when language anxiety limits classroom participation. At the same time, the literature also points to important weaknesses. Chatbots may give inaccurate, unnatural, or overly general responses; they may encourage superficial interaction; and they may raise concerns about privacy, dependence, and uncritical trust in AI-generated language. Student experience is therefore shaped not only by the tool itself, but also by task design, teacher guidance, learner proficiency, and the educational purpose of use. The article concludes that chatbots and AI assistants are most valuable when they are used as planned supplements to teacher-led language teaching, rather than as replacements for teachers or authentic human communication. Recommendations are offered for classroom implementation, teacher preparation, and future research.