Abstract
The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots has emerged as a prominent trend in educational technology studies due to its multifaceted advantages. This study aims to explore how to construct a more efficient AI chatbot model as foreign language partners for the purpose of enhancing learners’ language ability. Following PRISMA statement, this study searched and collected 1007 relevant studies on Web of Science database. Employing a combination of bibliometric visualization and citation network analyses, this study visualized the keywords, authors, organizations, countries, and literature clustering of collected studies. The results indicated some promising prospects for the incorporation of AI chatbots in language education settings under post-pandemic context. However, there also existed certain considerations for the enhancement of its efficiency, including technology innovation, psychological engagement, cognitive learning process, pedagogical scenarios, conversational environment, and ethical responsibility. The future research would focus on how to motivate the collaboration between educators and technology developers to better promote the integration of a more efficient AI chatbots into language education settings.