<![CDATA[Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has significantly reshaped educational landscape by delivering personalized learning resources. However, its influence on the development of Self-regulated learning (SRL) strategies among Indonesian EFL graduate students remins unexplored. This study aimed to explore the use of GenAI tools integration in supporting Indonesian EFL graduate students’ self-regulated learning in academic writing. Building on Zimmerman’s SRL model, this research investigated which GenAI tools students utilize, how these tools support SRL phases of forethought, performance, and self-reflection phase, as well as what attitude students hold toward the GenAI integration. A descriptive qualitative design was employed through semi-structured interview with four graduate students who enrolled in Thesis Proposal Writing coursework. Thematic analysis revealed three primarily theme: AI utilization, AI-strategic use, and attitude toward AI. The students in this study strategically combined a variety of GenAI tools, such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Quillbot, and Grammarly, in accordance with their needs of each SRL phase: in the forethought phase, GenAI tools served as an interactive digital peer for brainstorming and outlining, in the performance phase GenAI assisted with drafting and refining sentence structure, and in the self-reflection phase GenAI provided linguistic and real time feedback. Through these phases, participants maintained a highly responsible, human-led approach, emphasizing that GenAI tools should function as interactive assistance to reduce cognitive load, while critical thinking and main authorship remain students’ intellectual properties. This finding confirmed that GenAI contributes most effectively in self-regulated academic writing GenAI contributes most effectively to self-regulated academic writing when students maintain critical control, evaluative judgment, and ownership over their writing process, positioning GenAI as a supportive digital partner rather than a substitute for students' agency.]]>
