As technology advances, there are growing arguments about artificial intelligence, which is still controversial, with both welcome and pessimistic views regarding its role in the future of human life. What was revealed about the development of artificial intelligence is considered very simple in the eyes of specialists and observers, especially in areas that have not been explored, and this constitutes a source of fear for many.

The vast leaps witnessed in recent years in the field of artificial intelligence have become a source of anxiety for most people, especially those working in institutions and industrial facilities, even though this anxiety stems from losing their jobs and replacing them with robots. This concern came from statements that the next two decades will witness the introduction of vast quantities of robots to the market.

OpenAI was initially established in 2015 by Sam Altman, Elon Musk, and others to advance digital intelligence. On November 30, 2022, OpenAI released ChatGPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer. ChatGPT uses a large language model to provide users with quick and reliable answers and give enough information about most of the topics. Furthermore, ChatGPT allows users to have more in-depth conversations. The concern about the impact role of ChatGPT on educational and social institutions has led to some reactions from academic institutions, and school districts were hasty and took action to block artificial intelligence platforms from schools, which they quickly retracted in the aftermath.

On the other hand, some scholarly academic journals, including our Arab World English Journal, have announced guidelines for article authors. Authors must disclose the use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process.

While we are editing the final draft of this volume (April 2024), OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced in a statement that OpenAI has opened its first office in Asia, Japan, and is providing a GPT-4 custom for the Japanese language; it is three times faster than its predecessor. OpenAI aims to expand ChatGPT’s global presence. After releasing ChatGPT, which is backed by Microsoft, OpenAI has emerged as a leading company in the history of computing.

In this special issue, we addressed the impact of ChatGPT and AI-assisted technologies, an essential topic that will constitute the main features of education and publications in the twenty-first century. The issue contains 22 articles from eight countries (China, Kuwait, Iraq, Oman, Malaysia, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and Ukraine). It covers a broad spectrum of related topics: Academic writing, the pedagogical potential of infinigoChatIC, Grammar Teaching and Learning in EFL Classes, English Language Proficiency in EFL Classrooms, Grammar Teaching and Learning in EFL Classes, EFL Essay Writing, Distance Learning Environment, Evaluation of the Translation, Improve the Research Writing Process, Role of Artificial Intelligence in Education, Language Learners’ Critical Thinking, Naruto Fan Fiction Writing, and the Impact of ChatGPT on Future Academics.

We seize this opportunity to extend our heartfelt thanks to the authors who have shared their research with our Arab World English journal. We anticipate that the articles in this volume will attract a diverse readership and deepen our understanding of ChatGPT’s role in learning and teaching and its associated challenges. We also hope these papers will provide a thought-provoking perspective for faculty members and students to consider ChatGPT’s impact on writing and related assignments.