This presentation focuses on ongoing research at a Government Elementary College of Education involving 16 final-year TESOL pre-service teachers (PSTs). The research explores the integration of the Noticing application, through its mentoring presence Noa, as a context- and theory-aware digital mentor to support PSTs during their practical teaching experiences in schools and action research projects (cf. Hobson et al. 2009). The study seeks to uncover the challenges and benefits of interacting with Noa, offering insights into how Generative AI (GenAI) tools can complement human mentorship in existing teacher education programs. First, this initiative addresses the limited availability of human mentors, who can only provide five 30-minute meetings per term. The introduction of Noa aimed to offer students a 24/7 mentoring alternative, characterized by accessibility, patience, and engagement. Faculty expected that interacting with Noa would enhance PSTs’ reflective practices and autonomy by prompting critical thinking and encouraging independent problem-solving. However, the initial implementation revealed acute challenges in adoption. While some PSTs welcomed the opportunity, others resisted using Noa, showing a preference for more familiar AI tools such as ChatGPT. Preliminary findings indicate several factors contributing to this resistance. PSTs reported perceiving Noa as “too demanding,” as it required them to engage deeply with reflective prompts, unlike ChatGPT, which provided ready-made answers (Fang et al., 2024). This resistance may also stem from insufficient training; PSTs received only a one-hour orientation to the app, which did not adequately prepare them to maximize its potential. Furthermore, the demands of their practical teaching and action research during a four-week school placement may have made them favour quicker, less cognitively intensive solutions. Findings and reflections from both faculty and PSTs are presented, capturing PSTs’ lived experiences of interacting with Noa, as elicited through focus group discussions, individual reflections, and analysis of PSTs’ chat scripts with Noa. Findings centred on the risks posed by the prolonged use of solution-generating AI are discussed (e.g. Bastani et al., 2024), as well as strategies to educate users away from simpler solutions to those that aid teacher professional development. In light of the findings, the role of digital mentorship in supporting reflective practice is discussed, and recommendations proposed for integrating such tools on PST education programs. By fostering dialogue, this session aims to contribute to the broader discourse on leveraging AI-driven tools in teacher education to enhance reflective practice and professional growth.

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