STUDENTS’ EXPERIENCES IN USING GPT AI FOR INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE (ICC) COURSE AT UNIVERSITAS LANCANG KUNING

Abstract

The integration of GPT-based artificial intelligence in higher education has raised important questions about how this technology influences students’ intercultural learning, particularly in developing Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC). Although the use of GPT-AI in language learning continues to grow, research exploring students’ lived experiences in the Indonesian higher education context remains limited. Therefore, this study aimed to explore students’ experiences in using GPT-AI as a learning partner in the Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) course at Universitas Lancang Kuning. This research employed a qualitative descriptive approach. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with five students enrolled in the ICC course. Thematic analysis was conducted following Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-phase framework, guided by Byram’s (1997; 2021) Intercultural Communicative Competence theory and the Technology-Enhanced Learning and Educational AI framework. The findings revealed that students perceived GPT-AI not merely as a technological tool, but as a reflective and collaborative learning partner that supported intercultural understanding. Five key themes emerged: patterns of GPT-AI use in cultural learning, comfort and positive engagement, openness and empathy toward cultural diversity, critical thinking and digital cultural awareness, and GPT-AI as a collaborative learning partner. Among these, the most dominant theme was GPT-AI as a collaborative learning partner, as students consistently described the AI as a dialogic companion that facilitated idea development, intercultural reflection, and autonomous learning. The results indicate that GPT-AI contributed to students’ ICC development across cognitive, emotional, and reflective dimensions by fostering empathy, critical cultural awareness, and learner autonomy. In conclusion, when used critically and responsibly, the integration of GPT-AI into ICC learning has the potential to transform intercultural education in higher education into a more reflective, ethical, and human-centered practice.