A collaborative reflection on the synergy of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and language teacher identity reconstruction

Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are quickly revolutionizing various aspects of second/foreign language (L2) education with their promising potentials to offer personalized, adaptive, and instant feedback. Despite such technical capacities, the role of AI in how language teachers (re)define their professional selves has remained a notable gap so far. To unveil that synergy, framed in the post-structuralist perspective, this study examined 15 Iranian English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers' identity (re)construction in light of AI through collaborative reflection and narrative frame. The results of thematic analysis revealed that AI contributed to language teacher identity (LTI) (re)construction in six areas. It “caused teacher role transformation”, “triggered pedagogical alignment and development”, “made L2 education data-driven, personalized, and collaborative”, “enhanced teachers’ professional expertise and knowledge base”, “spurred teachers to be self-reflective practitioners”, and “made teachers tech-savvy in the shifting world”, hence (re)shaping LTI. The findings are discussed and practical implications are presented to EFL teachers and teacher educators.