In the current era of rapid technological advancement, a new phenomenon has emerged with the increasing integration of Artificial Intelligence in various educational contexts. This study addresses a gap in the literature, differing from previous in terms of research location, methodological approach and data analysis techniques. The study aims to explore the various factors that may influence pre-service English teachers' acceptance of adopting AI-based writing tools in their English academic writing. To achieve this goal, an exploratory qualitative methodology was used in this study involving pre-service English teachers from an Islamic university in Semarang. Questionnaires and interviews were used to collect data. Then, the results were analysed using the construct of the Technology Acceptance Model theory by David (1989). The participants consisted of 15 pre-service English teachers enrolled in the seventh semester of the English education department. The results show that the most widely used AI-based writing tools are ChatGPT then QuillBot and lastly Grammarly. Furthermore, this study also found that the factors influencing pre-service English teachers' acceptance of AI-based writing tools is the factor of external variables, namely pre-service English teachers’ experience in using AI that can affect perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness. The study suggests that pre-service English teachers should balance between utilizing technology and demonstrating their skills to produce exemplary English academic papers.