International Journal of Research in English Education

en When Love Meets AI: Humanizing EFL Classrooms through Loving Pedagogy in Digital Times تخصصي Special پژوهشي Research Objective: The increasing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education has transformed classroom interaction, raising new emotional and ethical questions for teachers. Grounded in the framework of AI-informed Loving Pedagogy, this study examined how EFL teachers experience and sustain love, empathy, and moral awareness in AI-mediated teaching contexts. Methods: A qualitative research design was adopted to capture the nuanced emotional, ethical, and pedagogical experiences of EFL teachers who integrate AI tools into their instruction. Fifteen EFL teachers in Tehran, Iran, participated in semi-structured interviews and reflective journals. Results: Thematic analysis yielded three interrelated themes of 1) Relational Presence in Algorithmic Spaces, 2) Moral Ambiguity and Emotional Labor, and 3) Pedagogical Renewal through AI Partnership. Conclusion: The findings revealed that teachers intentionally personalized machine-generated communication to maintain emotional authenticity, navigated ethical uncertainty and affective fatigue while adapting to technological change, and reframed AI as a creative partner for enhancing empathy and reflective care. These insights show that love and ethical responsibility can be redefined by technological mediation. The study advances the AI-informed Loving Pedagogy framework, demonstrating how affective literacy, moral discernment, and critical AI awareness can coexist within sustainable digital teaching. The results have implications for teacher education and educational policy, emphasizing the need to prepare educators for the emotional, ethical, and cognitive dimensions of AI integration.   Objective: The increasing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education has transformed classroom interaction, raising new emotional and ethical questions for teachers. Grounded in the framework of AI-informed Loving Pedagogy, this study examined how EFL teachers experience and sustain love, empathy, and moral awareness in AI-mediated teaching contexts. Methods: A qualitative research design was adopted to capture the nuanced emotional, ethical, and pedagogical experiences of EFL teachers who integrate AI tools into their instruction. Fifteen EFL teachers in Tehran, Iran, participated in semi-structured interviews and reflective journals. Results: Thematic analysis yielded three interrelated themes of 1) Relational Presence in Algorithmic Spaces, 2) Moral Ambiguity and Emotional Labor, and 3) Pedagogical Renewal through AI Partnership. Conclusion: The findings revealed that teachers intentionally personalized machine-generated communication to maintain emotional authenticity, navigated ethical uncertainty and affective fatigue while adapting to technological change, and reframed AI as a creative partner for enhancing empathy and reflective care. These insights show that love and ethical responsibility can be redefined by technological mediation. The study advances the AI-informed Loving Pedagogy framework, demonstrating how affective literacy, moral discernment, and critical AI awareness can coexist within sustainable digital teaching. The results have implications for teacher education and educational policy, emphasizing the need to prepare educators for the emotional, ethical, and cognitive dimensions of AI integration.   Loving Pedagogy, Digital pedagogy, Empathy, Ethical Awareness Loving Pedagogy, Digital pedagogy, Empathy, Ethical Awareness 89 114 http://ijreeonline.com/browse.php?a_code=A-10-1037-8&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Hossein Isaee Hossein Isaee hossein.isaee@iau.ir 10031947532846003933 10031947532846003933 Yes Department of English Language, Am.C., Islamic Azad University, Amol, Iran Hamed Barjesteh Hamed Barjesteh Hamed.Barjesteh@iau.ac.ir 10031947532846003934 10031947532846003934 No Department of English Language and Literature, Am.C., Islamic Azad University, Amol, Iran shaghayegh shirzad shaghayegh shirzad shghayegh.shirzad@iau.ir 10031947532846003935 10031947532846003935 No Eiman Narimani Marketing Management Co. L.L.C., Dubai 1971, UAE. Mehdi Manoochehrzadeh Mehdi Manoochehrzadeh manoochehrzadeh@zerodale.com 10031947532846003936 10031947532846003936 No Zerodale Inc. Centre for Research in Entrepreneurship Education and Development, Toronto M2K 2H6, Canada. Zerodale Inc. Centre for Research in Entrepreneurship Education and Development, Toronto M2K 2H6, Canada.