Artificial intelligence in the English classroom: EFL teachers’ opportunities, challenges, and readiness for AI integration

The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) tools into English language education has created new demands on teachers, who must navigate both the potential and limitations of these technologies. This exploratory descriptive survey examines English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers’ perceptions of AI tools, focusing on usage practices, perceived opportunities, challenges, and professional development needs. Drawing on the Technology Acceptance Model and an AI-TPACK perspective, a questionnaire was distributed to 28 EFL teachers working across multiple educational levels and international contexts. Closed ended items addressed AI use, perceived educational value, confidence, training, and concerns, while three open ended questions elicited explanations of perceived benefits, challenges, and support needs. The findings show that teachers overwhelmingly use ChatGPT (89.3 percent) and value AI primarily for lesson planning efficiency and learning personalization, with about two-thirds agreeing that AI makes planning more efficient and supports tailored activities. At the same time, substantial proportions report concerns about ethical issues, student overreliance on AI, and the accuracy of AI-generated content, each cited by roughly two-thirds of respondents. Although most participants reported confidence in using AI tools, fewer considered the training they had received sufficient, indicating a descriptive discrepancy between reported confidence and perceived training adequacy. The qualitative analysis highlights a dual identity in teacher discourse, where AI is framed both as a powerful productivity assistant and as a potential threat to pedagogical autonomy and student creativity. TAM and AI-TPACK are used as complementary interpretive perspectives rather than as models tested by the study. It offers practical implications for AI-focused professional development, institutional policy, and the design of teacher-centered AI integration frameworks.