  This study applies Activity Theory and investigates the attitudes and
contradictions of 67 English as a foreign language (EFL) students from four
Hong Kong secondary schools towards machine-in-the-loop writing, where
artificial intelligence (AI) suggests ideas during composition. Students
answered an open-ended question about their feelings on writing with AI.
Results revealed mostly positive attitudes, with some negative or mixed
feelings. From a thematic analysis, contradictions or points of tension between
students and AI stemmed from AI inadequacies, students' balancing enthusiasm
with preference, and their striving for language autonomy. The research
highlights the benefits and challenges of implementing machine-in-the-loop
writing in EFL classrooms, suggesting educators align activity goals with
students' values, language abilities, and AI capabilities to enhance students'
activity systems.
