Thai University Students’ Awareness and Acceptance of AI Tools in Learning Vietnamese, Myanmar, and Lao

Most research on artificial intelligence (AI) tools in language education has focused on widely supported languages, leaving learners of less digitally supported Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) languages largely overlooked. This study examined AI Awareness and technology acceptance among Thai university students learning Vietnamese, Myanmar, and Lao, adding AI Awareness as a further construct within Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design combined a census survey of 145 students with focus group discussions involving twelve students. Awareness and acceptance were generally positive. On most constructs, Vietnamese students scored higher than Lao and Myanmar students, who did not differ significantly from each other despite belonging to different language families. Social Influence was the strongest predictor of intention to continue using AI tools. However, students identified reliability as more important to their own decisions. AI Awareness was related to all other constructs but did not predict intention directly. Students with greater awareness tended to use AI more selectively and critically. The findings contribute early evidence on AI Awareness and technology acceptance among learners of ASEAN languages with uneven digital support. They also highlight the importance of helping students critically evaluate AI-generated content.