A critical hermeneutic phenomenology of the fears of artificial intelligence (AI) as experienced by retiring university english language teaching (ELT) professors

This study offers one of the earliest critical hermeneutic-phenomenological accounts of faculty fear of Artificial Intelligence (AI). It introduces a postcolonial critique to the discourse on AI in education among university English language professors in the Philippines nearing retirement. Situated at the crossroads of professional conclusion and technological disruption, the experiences of senior language faculty members offer a critical yet under-explored perspective on AI integration in higher education. This research engaged 12 faculty members through in-depth interviews, supplemented by classroom observations, informal student interviews, and reflexive journaling. Data were analyzed using a hermeneutic framework inspired by Ricoeur, with a focus on the co-construction of meaning. The findings reveal that fear is not a monolithic resistance to technology but a complex constellation of anxieties. Three core themes emerged: (1) a fear of existential obsolescence, where professional identity feels threatened; (2) a vicarious pedagogical fear for students’ cognitive and characterological development; and (3) a dread of leaving behind a corrupted inheritance. All these themes reflect a future of devalued humanistic education. It proposes the Bulusan’s Iceberg of AI-induced Fears. The findings suggest that apprehension toward AI among retiring senior faculty is deeply tied to their pedagogical values and sense of legacy. The study offers crucial implications for developing human-centered institutional policies, rethinking faculty development to value experiential wisdom, and cultivating a more critical and empathetic discourse on AI transitions in global higher education. It concludes that understanding this fear is essential for navigating the future of education in a way that balances technological innovation with enduring humanistic principles.