Abstract
The rapid development of digital technologies in modern education requires the modernization of teaching methods and instructional tools. In particular, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into the educational process opens new opportunities for increasing students’ cognitive activity, motivation, and learning effectiveness. This article examines the impact of using artificial intelligence technologies in geography lessons on the cognitive interest and academic performance of 9th grade students. The study was conducted on the basis of a general secondary school in Semey, Kazakhstan, and involved 61 students aged 14–15 years from experimental and control groups. Pedagogical diagnostics, questionnaires, the method “Study of Cognitive Interest Characteristics” by V.S. Yurkevich, and quantitative and comparative analysis methods were applied. At the initial stage, the results indicated approximately equal levels of cognitive interest in both groups, demonstrating an overall insufficient level of learning motivation. During the experimental stage, geography lessons integrating AI-based tasks were implemented on the topics “Atmosphere” and “Climate of Kazakhstan.” The results of the final assessment showed a significant improvement in learning outcomes and cognitive interest in the experimental groups compared to the control group. The findings confirm that the systematic use of artificial intelligence in geography lessons is an effective pedagogical tool that enhances students’ learning activity, analytical thinking, and engagement in the educational process.