Artificial Intelligence Educational Tools (AIED) are poised to transform educational practices by enabling personalised learning, automating administrative tasks, and delivering real-time feedback. However, the ethical and constructive implementation of AIED in K-12 education remains a pressing concern, particularly among teachers. Even when teachers view AIED as a highly transformative tool, they often remain reluctant to experiment with it in the classroom, primarily because they feel unprepared and lack confidence in using AIED effectively. This study aims to address these gaps by exploring the constructive applications of AIED to empower teachers in enhancing students’ cognitive engagement (based on ICAP framework) and higher-order thinking skills (HOTS). A five-month teacher training course was conducted, incorporating pre- and post-surveys to assess teachers’ confidence, knowledge, and appropriation of AIED. Teachers engaged in training on AI-related risks and tools, designed lessons that integrated AIED, and gathered student feedback. Teacher training surveys (N = 17) were analysed with paired samples T-tests; deductive content analysis focusing on HOTS and the role of AIED was conducted based on ten lesson plans. For triangulation, descriptive analysis was applied to the student feedback survey (N = 240) about their perception of such learning activities. Overall, the study shows that teacher training empowered teachers in using AIED; the alignment of lesson activities with ICAP principles might depend on the learning community; and AI-supported learning can foster HOTS depending on the type of learning activities and the AIED role.