<![CDATA[This study critically examines the role of generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in shaping the creative processes and cultural representation of pre-service EFL teachers engaged in Community Digital Storytelling (CDSt) grounded in East Kalimantan folklore. Addressing two research questions—how GenAI mediates creative processes and CDSt stage comprehension, and how cultural representation is constructed and negotiated in AI-assisted storytelling—the study adopts a qualitative case study design. Data were generated from seven focus group discussions involving 42 participants across three cohorts. The analysis focuses on the integrated PACIFIC toolset- which coordinates PowerPoint, AI, CapCut, Inknoe, ClassPoint, Filmora, Internet tools, and Canva as a pedagogical workflow supporting human–AI collaboration and critical AI literacy. The findings reveal that GenAI’s technical limitations and cultural inconsistencies function as productive constraints that provoke higher-order thinking and critical engagement. Rather than facilitating seamless production, GenAI introduces pedagogical tensions that require participants to engage in evaluation, adaptation, and strategic orchestration across CDSt stages. Cultural representation emerges as a negotiated outcome, shaped through human-in-the-loop practices that counteract AI-driven homogenization and reinforce local epistemologies. The study contributes to the emerging discourse on AI in language teacher education by advancing a shift from tool-oriented competence to critical AI literacy and culturally situated pedagogy. It shows the pedagogical value of integrated digital ecosystems in fostering reflective, ethically grounded, and culturally responsive teaching practices.]]>
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