With the increasing prominence of intercultural competence in the context of globalised language education, this cross-sectional study investigates how Moroccan EFL university students experience the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in supporting the development of cultural intelligence (CQ). Focusing specifically on learners' perceptions, the study employed a CQ questionnaire and semi-structured interviews to gather data from a sample of 200 undergraduate students. The questionnaire assessed students’ self-reported competence across four CQ domains, while interviews provided deeper insight into their engagement with AI-driven educational technologies such as conversational agents, adaptive feedback systems, and culturally nuanced simulations. Quantitative analysis indicated that students generally exhibited moderate CQ, with notable strength in cognitive and behavioural dimensions. Interview responses suggested that students valued the opportunities AI provided for exposure to diverse cultural content and real-time interaction with global perspectives, which helped them to reflect critically on their communication strategies and cultural assumptions. The findings underscore the relevance of AI in facilitating culturally responsive learning, even when assessed at a single point in time. The study advocates for the strategic incorporation of culturally intelligent AI applications into EFL curricula and encourages teacher training in leveraging these tools for intercultural development. Limitations of the cross-sectional approach are acknowledged, and longitudinal inquiry may yield significant outcomes.

Authors:
Nourreddine Menyani, Moulay Ismail University, Morocco
Yassine Benhadj, Moulay Ismail University of Meknés, Morocco

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Nourreddine Menyani is an associate professor Applied Linguistics and ELT at the Ecole Normale Supérieure (ENS), Moulay Ismail University, Meknés, Morocco. He earned a PhD in Applied Linguistics and English Language Teaching

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