02/02/2026
WHAT MADE YOU GIVE UP ON PRACTISING SPEAKING WITH AI AFTER JUST A COUPLE OF TRIALS?
Reality hits hard: Most people tried ChatGPT, Gemini or similar AI tools to practise and improve their English speaking skills, but gave up after just few weeks. WHY? Some said "AI bored them", "AI was mechanical", "AI gave compliments all the time without actually giving detailed feedback"...
From the research assignment I conducted in Qualitative Research Methods, which I took last semester in National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, this phenomenon can be called "Utility Ceiling". This means that when you reach a certain proficiency level, AI may turn out to be dull and inadequate to be your speaking trainer.
My biggest question, however, is that I succeeded in almost just using AI to improve my level to 8.5 IELTS Speaking (9.0 Overall).
‼️ So why could I manage that, but others could not?
To demystify this enigma, I conducted interviews with two subjects — those who have maintained their speaking practice with AI over 6 months despite its flaws. The results turned out to be mind-blowing!
📌 1. Hannah — see AI as a confidant
As she realised AI is not good at understanding her instructions, instead of trying to use English to explain, Hannah employed "L1 Scaffolding" — using her native tongue to train AI. Until when AI understands its role, she switches to practicing her English.
Hannah also sees AI as her comfort zone, where she can share her secrets without fear of judgement. It is this Emotional Attachment that plays a crucial role in her Continuance Intention.
📌 2. Pia — AI becomes her "punching bag"
In stark contrast to Hannah, AI bored Pia to death with its mistakes. However, instead of giving up, she took advantage of the opportunities and confronted AI about its issues. When AI gave unreasonable suggestions/corrections, she did not listen to it and she chose to counter its view points. She persisted with using 100% English, forcing her mind to work as hard as possible to get her ideas across.
Another motivation to Pia's Continuance Intention stems from economic reasons. AI is FREE, while practising with native speakers costs her too much. The cost factor overcomes her boredom.
📘 CONCLUSION:
If you find AI boring, it is possible that you are expecting AI to lead the way, rather than being a strategic and proactive AI user.
Hope that these insights would be useful to those using AI to improve their Speaking skills, whether for IELTS or just general English communciation. My full research assignment is attached below in the comment section.
Thank you for reading and have a nice day!
15/07/2025