AI-Powered Digital Pedagogy in English Language Education: A Framework for Twenty-First Century Learning

The rapid development of Artificial Intelligence has accelerated the transformation of English language education from predominantly teacher-centred instruction towards digitally mediated, personalized, interactive, and data-informed learning environments. Artificial intelligence applications now support language learners through intelligent tutoring, automated feedback, generative dialogue, adaptive learning pathways, speech recognition, academic writing assistance, multimodal content generation, and formative assessment. These developments have contributed to the emergence of AI-powered digital pedagogy, an instructional approach in which artificial intelligence is integrated with pedagogical principles to enhance language learning rather than merely automate educational tasks. This conceptual research paper examines the role of AI-powered digital pedagogy in English language education and proposes a framework for twenty-first-century learning. The study adopts an integrative review and conceptual analysis of contemporary scholarship concerning AI in English Language Teaching, personalized learning, generative AI, digital literacy, multimodal pedagogy, assessment, learner autonomy, and teacher AI competence. The discussion identifies six interconnected dimensions of effective AI-powered pedagogy: personalized language learning, interactive and multimodal learning, intelligent feedback and assessment, learner autonomy and self-regulation, teacher mediation and AI literacy, and ethical and inclusive implementation. Available empirical evidence indicates that generative AI can contribute positively to English proficiency and self-regulated learning when its use is structured pedagogically. Nevertheless, concerns remain regarding inaccurate information, academic integrity, algorithmic bias, privacy, unequal access, overdependence, and the possible weakening of human interaction. The paper therefore argues for a human-centred model in which AI functions as a pedagogical partner rather than a substitute for teachers. The proposed framework positions critical thinking, digital literacy, ethical judgment, communication, collaboration, creativity, and learner agency as central outcomes of twenty-first-century English language education.