The present study investigates Indonesian EFL learners' perceptions of
Duolingo as an AI-supported language-learning platform for enhancing Englishspeaking confidence. Employing a quantitative descriptive design, data were
collected through a validated Likert-scale questionnaire administered to twelfthgrade learners of SMAN 4 Jember. A descriptive statistical analysis was conducted
using Microsoft Excel, which revealed that the majority of participants held
predominantly positive perceptions of Duolingo's speaking exercises,
pronunciation feedback, adaptive features, and gamification elements where its had
been proven increased learners’ speaking confidence. In terms of usability, almost
all respondents (99.1%) perceived Duolingo as easy to use for learning English.
This positive perception extended to speaking comfort and readiness, with 86.0%
of learners reporting increased comfort when speaking English in front of others
and 91.3% indicating improved readiness to speak at any time after practising with
Duolingo. Regarding self-efficacy, a majority of respondents felt more confident in
their speaking ability, as reflected by 93.0% who believed Duolingo helped them
trust their ability to speak English, 91.3% who felt proud of their speaking progress,
and 91.3% who perceived that the application provided sufficient opportunities to
practice speaking confidently. The effectiveness Duolingo’s speaking-related
features was also strongly acknowledged, with 93.9% of respondents agreeing that
feedback features helped them correct speaking mistakes, 95.6% stating that
speaking exercises strengthened their speaking skills, and 97.4% reporting
improvements in pronunciation practice. 85.2% of respondents felt more confident
expressing ideas in English, while 91.3% reported increased confidence in speaking
English in general after using Duolingo. Although speaking anxiety was perceived
to decrease, the effect was moderate, as 87.9% of respondents felt that Duolingo
helped reduce their fear of making mistakes, while 12.2% still experienced anxiety.
From a motivational perspective, 94.7% of respondents indicated that microphonebased tasks motivated them to practice speaking more regularly, and 96.5% agreed
that interactive reminders enabled them to practise anytime and anywhere. Finally,
91.3% of respondents believed that regular use of Duolingo could improve their
fluency and confidence in the long term although only 81.7% felt that Duolingo
sufficiently supported preparation for speaking in class. These findings conclude
that Duolingo, integrated with proper it can significantly increase EFL learners’
speaking, especially speaking task in class, and future research may explore their
use in other various Arificial Intelligence outcomes based on Mobile Assisted
Language Learning (Mall).