Trustworthiness of AI in academic writing: Perspectives from Indonesian EFL students

Guided by the European Commission’s (2019) Ethics Guidelines, this study explores Indonesian university students’ perspectives on the trustworthiness of AI tools in supporting their English academic writing. While the use of AI in language education is expanding, issues of trust and ethical awareness remain underexplored, leaving students insufficiently equipped to critically evaluate AI-generated outputs. Adopting a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design, the study surveyed 189 EFL students from five Indonesian universities and conducted follow-up interviews with fifteen students who had completed an academic writing course. Surveys indicate moderate to high trust in AI’s technical robustness, but comparatively lower trust in lawfulness, reflecting concerns over data privacy and copyright. Interview results further reveal that students actively verify AI outputs to ensure ethical compliance. These insights call for the need to integrate AI ethics into the language education curriculum, fostering critical evaluation skills and promoting responsible AI use in academic writing.