Creating cute Ghibili images vs. using AI for English-speaking practice and actual growth

Right now, many young people are busy creating cute AI images.

Jubilee photos.

Cartoons.

Stylised portraits.

Fun? Yes.

Life-changing? No.

Meanwhile, something much bigger is quietly happening — and many Indian students are missing it.

For years, they’ve complained about one thing:

“I don’t get enough speaking practice.”

“No one speaks English around me.”

“I don’t have a teacher.”

“I feel shy and judged.”

And now, for the first time, that excuse no longer exists.

AI has changed the game — not in theory, but in real, daily, practical ways.

This is not about replacing teachers.

This is not about job fear.

This is not about becoming “techy”.

This is about access.

For a college student sitting in a silent classroom.

For a working professional stuck in the same role for years.

For someone who knows English but freezes while speaking.

AI gives something India has never had at scale:

A private, non-judgmental speaking partner available anytime.

You can talk to AI.

You can make mistakes.

You can pause.

You can repeat.

You can sound bad — and no one laughs.

That alone is revolutionary.

I’ve seen college students become confident not because their grammar suddenly became perfect, but because they finally started speaking daily.

I’ve seen working professionals grow because they stopped waiting for workshops and started practising interviews, presentations, and conversations with AI at night after work.

Here’s what real AI usage looks like — not illusion, not gimmicks:

You ask AI to talk to you like a friend.

You tell it, “Correct my grammar gently.”

You ask for speaking topics.

You roleplay interviews.

You practise explanations.

You record your voice and reflect.

You repeat — again and again.

That is real practice.

Everything else is an illusion of practice.

Watching videos is not practice.

Reading books is not practice.

Making notes is not practice.

Speaking is practice.

And fluency has always come from one place only:

repetition without fear.

This is why AI matters so deeply in the Indian context.

Not because it’s perfect — it isn’t.

But because it’s far better than having no teacher, no environment, and a life filled with shame about “not speaking well”.

AI doesn’t judge your accent.

AI doesn’t compare you to others.

AI doesn’t rush you.

It waits.

And for someone who has been silent for years, that patience is powerful.

This isn’t about English alone.

It’s about confidence.

It’s about dignity.

It’s about finally having support.

So if you’re using AI only to generate images, you’re playing at the surface.

If you’re using AI to speak, practise, reflect, and grow —

you’re riding the real wave.

The AI wave is not coming to entertain you.

It’s here to empower you.

And the ones who understand this early

won’t just speak better English —

they’ll live with less fear.