Against the backdrop of deep integration of digital technology and artificial intelligence into education, this study focuses on English teaching in higher education, exploring the transformations and symbiotic development pathways brought by digital-intelligent technologies. Based on a review of relevant literature, the research context is established, highlighting that digital-intelligent technologies drive comprehensive educational transformation and have garnered significant attention and prompted changes across various domains of English teaching. Through theoretical exploration and evidence-based preliminary practices, a “Technology-Enabled Digital-Intelligent English Teaching Model for Higher Education” is constructed. This model encompasses modules such as AI-based resources, digital-intelligent teaching, virtualized contexts, embodied learning, multimodal interaction, and intelligent management, with an in-depth analysis of each module’s operational mechanism. The study finds that digital-intelligent technologies bring about spatial integration and modal reconstruction in English teaching, enabling deep interaction and scientific management across all teaching stages. Simultaneously, a symbiotic and mutually reinforcing mechanism of “demand-driven, technology-responsive, and practice-optimized” is formed, achieving a virtuous cycle centered on human-machine collaboration. The significance of this research lies in providing theoretical and practical support for the reform of English teaching in higher education, aiding in the cultivation of talent adapted to the demands of the new era through digital-intelligent technologies. It promotes the synergistic development of digital-intelligent technologies and English education, facilitates the integration and innovation of teaching resources in higher education, and enhances the quality of talent cultivation.