Recent advances in generative artificial intelligence are profoundly transforming language learning. This research examines the role of artificial intelligence, and specifically ChatGPT, as a More Knowledgeable Other (MKO) within Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) in the context of written production activities in French as a Foreign Language (FLE). Conducted across all Taiwanese universities offering French as a department or equivalent program (TKU, NCCU, FJU, NCU, Wenzao, and CCU), the study employs a mixed-methods approach combining questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and analyses of written productions. Quantitative data (from both student and teacher questionnaires) are analyzed using reliability analyses, correlations, and inter-university comparisons, while interviews are subject to thematic coding. The results show that AI functions as a cognitive mediator fostering reflective co-construction and linguistic autonomy, thereby extending learners’ ZPD. However, it does not replace the teacher’s role, who remains an intentional and socio-affective mediator. The study proposes a redefinition of the MKO concept in hybrid learning environments: ChatGPT operates as a functional mediator (cognitive and procedural), whereas the teacher embodies a critical and reflective mediator. These findings open avenues for critical digital pedagogy and the ethical integration of AI in FLE teaching.
