<![CDATA[The increasing use of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) in higher education has affected students’ academic writing practices. However, there is little evidence informing how EFL university students’ AI literacy influences their writing outputs in EFL contexts. Noting the gap, this study was conducted to explore EFL students' AI literacy and their use of GAI in academic writing, as well as analyzing the students’ writing samples. This exploratory qualitative research design was conducted in Surakarta municipality, Indonesia. The participants were selected using purposive sampling which resulted in twelve (12) EFL students from two public universities in Surakarta. The data collection instruments were semi-structured interviews and document analysis. The analysis techniques were thematic analysis and comparative document analysis, in which the writing samples were analyzed in terms of argument construction, text structure, language use, and authorial voice, before doing the cross-case comparison of the three AI literacy profiles. The findings indicated that there are three major trends regarding their AI literacy, varying from surface-oriented users, strategic users, and critical-reflective users. It was further found that they primarily use AI tools for assistive purposes such as brainstorming, outlining, language editing, and other means to improve their writing. The findings further revealed differences in the qualities of writing among the three different levels of AI literacy, with essays written by critical-reflective users possessing better analysis and reasoning skills compared to surface-oriented users. These findings suggest the value of developing critical AI literacy in EFL writing instruction, particularly to support ethical, purposeful, and reflective engagement with AI tools.]]>
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