The Future of Education

The rapid growth of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education has sparked a pressing need for systematic AI literacy education in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher education programs. The study found that there has been limited focus on the systematic integration of AI literacy into the EFL teacher education curriculum, including aspects of assessment validity, ethics, and institutional policy. This qualitative research is based on an AI-informed Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework to assess the implementation of organized AI literacy training among in-service EFL teacher training programs in Uzbekistan. Given the needs identified among in-service ELT lecturers, three professional development activities were offered as follows: needs analysis for responsible use of AI; responsible AI-supported materials and syllabus design; and assessment practices informed by AI. Later, AI literacy was integrated as a learning outcome for the course. Semi-structured interviews with 10 in-service lecturers and classroom observations were used to gather data one month after implementation. Five interrelated themes are identified in the thematic analysis: the development of responsible and evaluative AI literacy, pedagogically aligned tool selection, assessment redesign to limit construct transformation, digital equity constraints, and increased teacher agency. The study contributes to the ongoing discussion on AI literacy in teacher training programs by offering insights into the practical application of AI-informed TPACK in a Central Asian higher-education setting.