Use of artificial intelligence-based tools to improve listening and speaking skills in university students learning English as a foreign language: A systematic review

Introduction: The teaching of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in higher education faces structural limitations in providing intensive and tailored practice of oral and listening skills. Faced with large classrooms, traditional curricula focused on grammar, and limited synchronous interactivity, the emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers adaptive environments that enhance autonomous learning, the personalization of educational pathways, and immediate feedback for university students. Objective: To systematically analyze recent scientific literature on the use of AI-based technological tools for strengthening listening and speaking skills in university students of EFL. Methodology: A Systematic Literature Review (SLR) was developed based on the guidelines of the PRISMA 2020 statement and the PICO research question framework. The search was conducted in two recognized databases, filtering peer-reviewed empirical research published in the five-year period from 2022 to 2026, which allowed for the selection of studies analyzed through narrative synthesis. Results: The implementation of tools such as conversational agents (chatbots), Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR), Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), and immersive environments in the metaverse produces statistically significant improvements in verbal fluency, phonetic intelligibility, prosody, and auditory discrimination. Moreover, these technologies drastically reduce communicative anxiety and enhance motivation, self-confidence, and self-regulated learning. However, syntactic accuracy requires explicit teacher mediation, with barriers related to pedagogical training and the digital divide persisting.