Presentation Machine Learning in CALL
AI as a Communicative Resource: Japanese Business Professionals’ Use of AI in English-Mediated Work
This study reports on a survey-based investigation into how Japanese business professionals use AI-assisted language tools (e.g., ChatGPT and DeepL) in English-mediated workplace communication. While Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) research has traditionally focused on classroom-based language development, less attention has been paid to the role of AI in real-world professional communication contexts.
Drawing on the frameworks of English as a Business Lingua Franca (BELF) and multimodality, this study conceptualizes AI not simply as a learning support tool but as an integral communicative resource embedded in everyday business practices. Data were collected from approximately 100 Japanese professionals across a range of industries through an online survey examining purposes of AI use, perceived benefits, and impacts on English communication.
Preliminary findings indicate that participants use AI tools not only to improve linguistic accuracy but also for idea generation, pragmatic adjustment, and confidence-building. These patterns suggest that AI functions as a mode of communication and a partner in meaning-making rather than merely a correction tool.
The presentation discusses implications for CALL research and business English pedagogy, arguing for an expanded understanding of CALL that incorporates AI-mediated professional communication beyond educational settings, and outlining directions for future research and classroom-informed innovation and practice worldwide.
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Saeko Ozawa Ujiie is an international business consultant based in Tokyo, with extensive experience in multinational and cross-border business environments. She previously worked as an investment specialist at Morgan Stanley, UBS, and Merrill Lynch, engaging in cross-border financial and strategic activities across global markets, including assignments in London, New York, Hong Kong, Silicon Valley, and Tokyo. She holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, an MA from the University of California, Berkeley, and a BA from Waseda University. In parallel with her consulting career, she has over a decade of experience as a practitioner–educator, teaching international business, management, and business communication at universities and graduate programs in Tokyo.