Willingness to communicate with artificial intelligence (AI)? insights from tracking EFL learners’ perceived acceptance and chat output

Willingness to communicate (WTC) has been attracting considerable attention from language educators and researchers. The emergence of artificial intelligence-powered tools like ChatGPT has called for research on the intersection of WTC and technology-mediated communication. Against this backdrop, the current study investigated the interactions between 12 English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) learners in Macau and ChatGPT over ten weeks. Drawing on a post-humanist perspective and a technology acceptance model, the study explored the relationship between learners’ WTC with ChatGPT and their acceptance of this tool as indicated by perceived ease of use (PEU), perceived usefulness (PU), and attitude toward using (AT). A questionnaire including closed-ended and open-ended prompts was administered to the participants at weekly intervals, and their chat behavior screenshots were collected. Thematic analysis showed that ChatGPT served four major roles: an opinion or advice giver, a language learning helper, a content knowledge provider, and a factual information supplier. The learners mostly held positive perceptions of ChatGPT. Change point analysis revealed that some learners experienced significant changes in their WTC, PU, and AT, while moving window correlation analysis unveiled varied correlations between WTC and PU, PEU, and AT. The findings provided new perspectives for future studies on the pioneering concept of WTC with ChatGPT and illuminated the dynamic interplay between WTC with ChatGPT and learners’ acceptance of this tool.