Chapter 1:
Civics in an Age of AI

Our society and its politics today are marked by the immense transformations being produced by GenAI (generative artificial Intelligence) technologies as well as dramatically shifting federal government policies and priorities. Both GenAI-driven changes and government actions are impacting institutions, organizations, communities, and people’s lives in unprecedented and unforeseen ways.

Our AI and Civic Engagement book and this online companion are about technology, policies, and change - both in the present and in the future.

Technology, policy, and change are not things that just happen over which individuals have no control. Rather, each can be understood, created, and recreated through individual and collective actions.

To guide educators and students in thinking about what they can do in the present to change the future, we offer the following statements about the overriding importance of civic engagement as a core educational practice in the age of AI.

1. Civic engagement is an essential way for everyone (teachers, students, and community members) to understand what is happening today while preparing everyone for what could happen technologically and politically in the months and years ahead.

2. Becoming civically engaged includes paying attention to what is happening locally and nationally, thinking critically, asking questions, interacting with others, staying involved, and working with others to build and maintain networks and communities of connection and cooperation.

3. While GenAI technologies and the actions of a Presidential administration are not directly connected to each other, they are also not totally separated, so one must learn to use the tools to understand the politics, and vice versa.  

4. GenAI tools provide compelling and effective ways for students to learn about civic issues and public policy topics that matter to them so they become more informed civic learners, more knowledgeable technology users, and more involved members of society able to actively pursue the changes they want for themselves and their communities.

Our book is designed so that its content, strategies, and learning experiences will enable students to practice the skills and develop the understandings they need to shape the future. 

Try out the Gemini-generated interactive tool below to consider and reflect on being in this moment of crucial choice and change.

BONUS AI Literacy Activity: Read "The Risks of Using AI to Impersonate Historical Figures in Education." Then, critically examine the output from the "Get Papert's Perspective" AI-Powered Insights feature. Consider whether GenAI's representation of "What Would Papert Say" is accurate, trustworthy, helpful, and/or meaningful. 

Open Online Resources

• Open online eBooks by Torrey Trust and Robert W. Maloy

  • • Building Democracy for All: Interactive Explorations of Government and Civic Life. Robert W. Maloy & Torrey Trust. EdTechBooks, 2020.

    • Critical Media Literacy and Civic Learning: Interactive Explorations for Students and Teachers. Robert W. Maloy, Torrey Trust & Allison Butler. EdTechBooks, 2021.

• An Open Online Government e-textbook

  • • • American Government. Glen Krutz. Open Stax (2021).

• Digital Choice Board

  • • Action Civics with Gen AI