Ecuadorian English teachers' perceptions of artificial intelligence: Opportunity or Threat?

This study analyzed the perceptions of 62 university English teachers from four public higher education institutions in Ecuador —Universidad Agraria del Ecuador (UAE), Universidad de Guayaquil (UG), Universidad Estatal Península de Santa Elena (UPSE), and Universidad Estatal de Milagro (UNEMI)— regarding artificial intelligence (AI) in their pedagogical practice, using a quantitative descriptive approach. A 25-item Likert questionnaire was administered across five dimensions: AI knowledge, attitudes, perception of opportunities, perception of threats, and integration readiness. Results revealed predominantly positive trends (M = 3.84–4.09 for attitudes and opportunities), moderate ambivalence in the knowledge dimension (M = 3.38), and low threat perception (M = 2.95). Teachers particularly valued AI's potential to personalize learning and streamline material creation, although 58.1% expressed a need for specific training. It is concluded that Ecuadorian university English teachers perceive AI mainly as a pedagogical opportunity, contingent on critical and pedagogically grounded integration.