As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the approach to learning in education has transitioned from traditional to online (distance learning). It is undeniable that distance education has become a new approach to learning. In the past decade, many institutions have offered distance learning approaches. However, the effectiveness of distance education is still doubted and questioned due to the lack of direct physical contact between teachers/lecturers and students. This research aims to examine the impact of artificial intelligence and student engagement in enhancing the effectiveness of distance education and to test whether student engagement strengthens the impact of artificial intelligence usage in improving the effectiveness of distance education. In this study, criteria for respondents were established, namely students who use AI and have undergone online learning for at least one semester, and the research involved 281 participants as the research sample. The collected data was then analyzed using SmartPLS v.4 by running bootstrapping and the PLS algorithm. The results of the study prove that the impact of artificial intelligence and student engagement can enhance the effectiveness of distance education, and student engagement also plays a role in strengthening the impact of artificial intelligence usage in improving the effectiveness of distance education, with p-values < 0.10, < 0.05, and < 0.05, respectively. This study highlights the importance of synergy between AI technology and student engagement, thus providing insights for educators and policymakers to optimize distance education strategies to improve the effectiveness of distance education.