Empowering EFL Learners

The current study examined how artificial intelligence brainstorming tools affected the development of essay writing among English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. An experimental design was used for the study. The participants were thirty Saudi EFL learners enrolled at the English Departments and already finished the writing courses of the English program. These participants were divided into two groups: control and experimental groups. The control group students did the brainstorming task manually whereas the experimental group used the artificial intelligence tool (AYOA) in brainstorming the ideas; then the two groups wrote the essay depending on the brainstormed ideas. The findings of the study revealed a better performance with the experimental group due to the artificial intelligence tool. Besides, the cognitive load required by participants in the experimental group was the same as the cognitive load of the control group participants. The study provided guidelines for language instructors at Saudi universities to integrate artificial intelligence in writing courses.