From Authentic to "Authenticized": Reconceptualizing Language Teacher Identity and AI-Driven Materials

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) creates a pivotal moment for language teacher identity (LTI),introducing productive tensions as educators navigate technological change (Lan, 2024). LTI is acomplex construct, understood as the active, conscious way teachers perceive themselves and areperceived by others within their professional roles (Beijaard, Meijer, & Verloop, 2004). The digital agedemands a reconceptualization of this identity. This paper reflects on how AI tools afford teachers newpedagogical agency whereby they produce “authenticized” materials—AI-generated content that feelsauthentic to learners—to create listening tasks tailored to curricular goals.This approach addresses the persistent gap between authentic materials, such as podcasts, which areoften too difficult for L2 learners (Griffiths, 1990; Richards, 2006) and traditional created materials, whichcan lack engagement and feel unnatural (Ellis, 1999; Moorhouse & Wong, 2025). This article firstexamines these challenges in L2 listening instruction. It then introduces AI-generated podcasts as“authenticized” input, discusses specific GenAI podcasting tools enabling their creation, and analyzesthe implications for teacher agency and the new digital GenAI competencies required (Kildė, 2024;Satvati et al., 2025).