Rethinking Ethics in AI-Assisted EFL Teaching: A Critical Review

The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) tools into language education has begun to reshape teaching and learning practices in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) settings. Although AI-assisted technologies, such as automated writing tools, intelligent tutoring systems, and generative language models, offer new educational opportunities, they also raise significant ethical concerns for educators and institutions. This paper presents a critical analytical review of the emerging ethical issues arising from the use of AI in EFL teaching, especially in university EFL settings and higher education in Iran. Drawing on different strands of scholarship encompassing AI in education, language pedagogy, digital ethics, as well as recent studies on AI implementation in higher education, the review synthesizes the principal concerns related to academic integrity, fair access, data privacy, and shifts in the role of teachers within AI-mediated learning contexts. It also examines how long-standing issues in EFL education, such as plagiarism in academic writing, unequal access to digital resources, and varying levels of teacher technological literacy, may become more pronounced as AI tools are increasingly adopted. Instead of treating AI as merely a technological development, this review suggests a rethinking of ethical responsibilities in EFL teaching. It stresses the need for critical AI literacy, responsible classroom practices, and clearer institutional directions. By synthesizing current scholarship while highlighting the limited attention given to the ethical dimensions of AI use in EFL contexts, especially within developing higher education systems, this paper aims to contribute to the ongoing discourse on how EFL teachers and their institutions can engage with AI in pedagogically sound and ethically responsible ways.

کلیدواژه ها:

Artificial Intelligence in Education ، AI‑Assisted EFL Teaching ، Academic Integrity ، Digital Ethics ، AI Literacy ، Higher Education in Iran