Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly used to support academic writing, yet less is known about how EFL students evaluate and respond to AI feedback. This qualitative study investigates how Chinese EFL undergraduates perceive the usefulness of AI feedback and how they evaluate and respond to AI suggestions in academic writing. Data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews with 12 EFL undergraduates at a public university in China and analyzed using thematic analysis. The results suggested that students find AI feedback helpful in providing instant linguistic help, enhancing clarity and organization, and getting available help when revising a writing. Perceived usefulness was conditional though. Students were also wary of feedback when it was related to content, argumentation or contextual meaning. The students indicated that they would compare these suggestions with their original intentions, evaluate their relevance and accuracy, verify any questionable advice, and selectively adopt, modify, reject, or disregard them. The findings also indicated that the usefulness of feedback does not automatically lead students to adopt it; rather, students’ own evaluative judgment plays a central role in AI. This study further suggests that feedback literacy remains a valid framework for understanding how students utilize feedback from AI, though assessing the reliability and contextual appropriateness of such feedback becomes particularly crucial in an AI context. These findings highlight the necessity of fostering students’ ability to use AI critically and wisely as a source of supplementary feedback.
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