ENCHANCING ENGLISH READING SKILLS THROUGH AI-BASED TOOLS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Many learners of ESL and EFL struggle with reading proficiency due to limitations in vocabulary, fluency, comprehension strategies, and confidence, while traditional reading instruction often lacks the flexibility to meet diverse learner needs. This study reviews research published between 2021 and 2025 on the use of artificial intelligence–powered tools to support English reading development, with the aim of identifying the types of tools being used, evaluating their effectiveness, and examining implementation challenges. Ten empirical studies were synthesised, revealing six categories of AI tools, chatbot systems, intelligent tutoring systems (ITS), adaptive reading platforms, speech-based reading applications, multimodal AI tools, and natural language processing (NLP) applications, each supporting different aspects of reading, such as comprehension, fluency, and motivation. Across contexts, AI interventions demonstrated significant gains in comprehension, reading fluency, reduced reading anxiety, and improved self-regulated learning. However, challenges such as technical and infrastructural limitations, teacher readiness and pedagogical alignment, data privacy and ethical considerations, adaptive limitations, contextual and content suitability of AI-powered reading tools and learner over-reliance on automated feedback were also reported. The review underscores the potential of AI tools as effective supplements to traditional instruction, while emphasising the need for robust infrastructure, teacher training, and ethical safeguards to maximize their impact.