Navigating intercultural competence with ChatGPT: Implications and recommendations for foreign language education

Despite the increasing corpus of research concerning the application of ChatGPT in adaptive learning, grammar, and lexical acquisition in foreign language education (FLE), its effectiveness on the cultivation of intercultural competence (IC) as an essential learning outcome in FLE remains comparatively underexplored. This review article introduces the theoretical background and definitions of intercultural competence in second language acquisition (SLA) before analysing empirical studies that examine ChatGPT’s cross-cultural performance across multiple languages, cultures, and methodologies. It then discusses the implications of utilizing ChatGPT for intercultural engagement in FLE. The article concludes by underscoring the imperative of critical artificial intelligence literacy (CAIL) among language learners and offers recommendations for best practices in FLE.