The rapid development and integration of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in higher education represent one of the most profound technological shifts. While GenAI offers unprecedented opportunities for innovation in content delivery, assessment, or student engagement, it simultaneously raises pressing questions about the evolving role of educators and the ethical dimensions of digital pedagogy. This paper investigates how university instructors and teachers can preserve their pedagogical agency and ethical integrity in the context of expanding AI-driven learning environments. Rather than perceiving GenAI as a neutral tool, the study approaches it as a transformative force that reshapes not only teaching practices but also the very identity of the educator. The central aim is to explore how teachers can integrate AI technologies while maintaining their professional integrity, purpose, and values, thereby ensuring that education remains human-centered. The study is grounded in two complementary conceptual frameworks. First, it employs the TPACK+V model (Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge + Values), which extends the well-established TPACK framework by explicitly embedding ethical and value-oriented considerations into the interplay of technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge. Second, it draws on the 3Rs framework (Reflection, Resistance, and Renewal), which provides an insight for critically engaging with GenAI. By combining these two perspectives, the research situates educators not as passive adopters of AI, but as active designers of technologically mediated learning environments. Methodologically, the research follows a qualitative, exploratory approach. A series of reflective pedagogical simulations were conducted, during which educators engaged with multiple GenAI platforms, including ChatGPT, Synthesia, Gamma, and Chatbase. Participants experimented with these tools in structured scenarios that replicated authentic teaching tasks, such as designing course materials, generating personalized feedback, and simulating classroom interactions. The findings reveal a complex dual reality of GenAI in education. On one hand, educators identified clear benefits, including enhanced efficiency in content creation, opportunities for personalized learning, and the capacity to scale feedback processes. On the other hand, significant risks were noted, particularly the potential erosion of teacher identity, ethical concerns related to bias and surveillance, and the danger of over-reliance on automated systems. Notably, educators who engaged with GenAI through a values-driven framework reported a heightened awareness of their professional identity and demonstrated a more deliberate and ethical integration of AI tools. These educators emphasized the importance of critically reflecting on their use of AI, highlighting the need for professional development focused on ethical, values-based frameworks. They also emphasized the need to position AI not as a replacement for pedagogical agency but as a tool to be thoughtfully integrated within human-centered practices. The educational significance of this study lies in its advocacy for a reimagined role of educators in the age of AI. It argues that meaningful AI integration requires a shift from efficiency-driven adoption to ethically anchored, reflective pedagogy. Professional development programs should therefore move beyond technical training and incorporate research literacy, ethical awareness, and interdisciplinary dialogue. Such frameworks would empower teachers to navigate the rapidly evolving digital landscape without compromising their pedagogical integrity. Findings suggest that by positioning educators as active agents and designers of AI-enhanced education, this paper contributes both a theoretical and practical roadmap for ensuring that the future of teaching remains grounded in integrity, responsibility, but also human values.