Introduction:
This study explores how Generative AI (Gen-AI) is reshaping Initial Teacher Education (ITE). Far beyond a technical tool, Gen-AI is influencing how student teachers learn, reflect and teach, supporting their development as confident, ethical, and future-ready educators in digitally enhanced classrooms.

Purpose of the Study:
This cross-border study, conducted across two ITE institutions in Ireland, aims to develop a transformative framework for integrating Gen-AI in teacher education. It seeks to equip student teachers with the knowledge, values, and critical awareness to lead, question, and innovate in Gen-AI-enhanced classrooms. The goal is to bridge digital fluency with pedagogical depth, fostering inclusive, future-oriented practice.

Research Questions:
This study explores student teachers’ lived experiences with Gen-AI through the following questions:
What are their attitudes toward Gen-AI and how do these shape professional identity?
How does Gen-AI-related anxiety affect motivation and self-efficacy?
How is Gen-AI currently used in education, and how is it perceived by student teachers?
What is the transformative potential of ethically grounded Gen-AI use in ITE?

Objectives:
The study aims to:
- Support Gen-AI readiness as part of student teachers’ professional formation.
- Explore how Gen-AI enhances reflection, creativity and critical thinking.
- Assess digital confidence, Gen-AI expertise, acceptance and anxiety.
- Investigate student teachers' perspectives on Gen-AI’s value and risks.
- Examine the use of Gen-AI as an Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS) for personalised support for both student teachers themselves and for their own students.

Theoretical Framework:
The study is grounded in five key frameworks: (1) Generative AI Ecosystem in ITE, (2) Five Core AI Concepts, (3) AI Readiness Framework, (4) DigComp 2.2, and (5) Ethical and Critical Pedagogy. Together, they support student teachers’ critical, ethical and creative engagement with Gen-AI.

Methodology:
A sequential mixed methods design explored how Gen-AI shapes student teacher development across two Irish institutions.
Phase 1: Curriculum review
Phase 2: Survey of 122 student teachers across two ITE institutions on the Island of Ireland
Phase 3: Focus groups on identity, ethics, and innovation
Phase 4: Development of a Gen-AI Readiness Framework
Phase 5: Gen-AI training for lesson planning and reflection

Data Analysis:
Quantitative: SPSS analysis identified links between Gen-AI anxiety, motivation, and attitudes.
Qualitative: Thematic analysis captured student reflections, concerns, and aspirations around Gen-AI use.

Key Findings and Transformational Insights:
Empowerment: Gen-AI built confidence, supported creativity and helped manage workloads.
Ethical Awareness: Sparked reflection on bias, surveillance and inclusion.
Transformative Learning: Gen-AI acted as a co-learner, offering feedback and enabling adaptive learning during placements.

Policy and Practice Implications:
Findings will inform ITE policy and curriculum by supporting:
A Gen-AI Readiness Toolkit.
ITS-based teaching exemplars.
Ethical Gen-AI use guidelines aligned with EU and UNESCO frameworks.

Conclusion:
This study offers insights into how student teachers engage with Gen-AI, highlighting both its possibilities and limitations, and informing more critical, ethical, and context-aware approaches to its integration in ITE.

Keywords: Generative AI, Initial Teacher Education, Student Teacher Development, Digital Pedagogy, Ethical Technology Use.