While generative artificial intelligence (genAI) has been around for decades, the 2020s have seen a significant increase in public awareness. One of the most popular forms of generative AI is chatbots. OpenAI’s ChatGPT, for example, has garnered over 14 billion site visits and holds a 68% market share in the AI industry since its launch in November 2022 (Westfall, 2023). However, chatbots are just one aspect of generative AI; users can also create multimedia content such as audio, video, and images using these tools.

Generative AI is commonly used to craft emails, plan travel itineraries, summarize large blocks of text, generate lines of HTML code, and even create logos (Haan, 2024). Political actors may also use generative AI to connect with constituents in new ways, such as developing campaign materials or generating insights from interaction data. However, those with malicious intent can also exploit these tools to spread disinformation with ease.

Malicious actors can quickly produce false content intended to manipulate users with the help of AI, a phenomenon known as deepfakes. For example, in early 2024, a “robocall” pretending to be President Joe Biden advised New Hampshire residents not to vote in the Democratic Primary (Steck & Kaczynski, 2024). The perpetrator used a compilation of videos and audio from President Biden, input into a generative AI tool, to create a convincing replica of his voice in an attempt to obstruct the democratic process. These tools can yiebelievable and misleading websites, information, and even parody accounts on social media to influence user behavior.

Educators and researchers have recognized the imperative of developing citizens’ “AI Literacy,” or training “students at the K-12 level to live in a society where they must interact with AI” (Casal-Otero, 2023). Although this is still an emerging topic, this report will review organizations and initiatives that seek to integrate AI literacy into standardized secondary civic education curriculum.