Project Background

The GES Generative AI Literacy Project is an interdisciplinary initiative at North Carolina State University focused on helping the Genetic Engineering and Society (GES) community use generative AI responsibly and critically in biotechnology-related research, communication, and public engagement.

The project is led by Yang Alice Cheng, Ph.D., MBA, Principal Investigator and GES Affiliate, with J. Paul Liu, Ph.D. and Xin-Xia Peng, Ph.D. serving as Co-Principal Investigators. The team brings together expertise in communication, generative AI for science, bioinformatics, genomics, and biotechnology.

Over the 2026–2027 project period, the team will assess the community’s current AI literacy, develop hands-on training modules and open Google Colab resources, conduct interactive workshops, and evaluate how participants’ AI literacy develops over time.

The project is grounded in the five-stage AI Literacy Continuum developed by Co-PI Liu and aligned with UNESCO and OECD AI literacy frameworks. The project emphasizes informed use, critical evaluation, human oversight, and responsible practice.

Why Responsible AI Literacy Matters 

Responsible AI use is increasingly part of responsible research and innovation. In biotechnology and other high-stakes fields, AI-generated outputs can influence how information is analyzed, communicated, and understood, it makes critical evaluation and human judgment especially important.

AI literacy is more than knowing how to use an AI tool. It includes understanding its limitations, verifying information, recognizing bias and missing perspectives, protecting sensitive information, and knowing when human expertise must remain central.

This project treats AI literacy as a skill that develops over time. Using the five-stage AI Literacy Continuum, the project supports the GES community in moving from limited engagement or uncritical use toward informed use, critical evaluation, and continuous improvement. All project code examples will incorporate human-in-the-loop validation and responsible-use guidance.

Connection to Genetic Engineering and Society

Generative AI creates new possibilities for the interdisciplinary work of GES. The project focuses on practical applications: analyzing public and stakeholder discourse around gene editing, synthesizing scientific literature, summarizing regulatory and policy documents, and developing plain-language science communication.

These applications also raise questions about how AI may shape understanding of biotechnology. AI-generated content can contain inaccurate information, reproduce bias, oversimplify complex issues, or misrepresent uncertainty. This matters in areas where understanding, stakeholder perspectives, regulation, and community engagement are essential to responsible innovation.

By connecting AI training to GES topics and real-world tasks, the project is aiming to help community members use these tools as assistive technologies.