The General High School English Curriculum Standards (2017 Edition, Revised in 2020) incorporates critical thinking into the core competencies. However, current senior high school English teaching faces challenges such as ambiguous objectives, rigid methods, simplistic evaluation systems, and insufficient teacher capacity. This study focuses on the existing problems in critical thinking-oriented English classroom teaching at the senior high school level, analyzes the role of artificial intelligence (AI) technology in addressing these teaching dilemmas, and explores the mechanisms of AI empowerment. By examining the core bottlenecks in teaching practice, the research aims to provide theoretical references and practical guidance for optimizing senior high school English classroom teaching, enhancing students’ critical thinking competencies with the support of AI, and facilitating the implementation of core competencies in English as a subject.