The Future of Civic Education

The rapid advancements of genAI will continue to transform civic education. Below are predictions using the insights of industry reports, emerging trends, and academic scholarship.

Disclosure Policies

AI regulation, when levied by both private and public organizations, can ward against disinformation. In the private sphere, many online platform hosts have begun disclosure policies for content generated by AI. Meta, for example, is rolling-out labels for AI-generated photos uploaded to their platform and intends to punish users for publishing realistic content without AI disclosure. Meta’s social media platforms currently use an “Imagined with AI” watermark for images created with their in-platform tools. But the company has stated that they intend to do the same for AI-generated photos made with tools from “Google, OpenAI, Microsoft, Adobe, Midjourney, and Shutterstock” (David & Heath, 2024). Meta’s Global Affairs Department is also exploring options for punishing non-compliance, “[ranging] from warnings to removal” (David & Heath, 2024). This move could encourage other private organizations to implement similar programs and standardize this practice within the next decade.

Unfortunately, the federal government has yet to issue comprehensive regulation of AI. An Executive Order published by The White House did outline areas of regulation they seek to develop, including security, responsible innovation, equity, and protection of privacy (2023). 40 states have developed their own AI regulations and protocols as well. For example, The State of Maryland has implemented policies on the “development, procurement, deployment, use and assessment… of AI [systems] by…state government [units]” (NCSL, 2024). The State of Florida has even provided grants to school districts to use classroom AI tools that abide by their guidelines (NCSL, 2024). These initiatives show a promising future for students, where AI tools are safe and reliably sourced in and outside the classroom.

Extended Reality Simulations

Gamification strategies can be used in civics classrooms to deliver interactive, simulated activities. But increasing use of extended reality (XR) technologies could make these activities even more realistic, immersive, and engaging. Designed to mirror and blend with the real world, XR technologies like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) will enable students to participate in immersive simulations of historical events, government processes, and civic activities. AI-driven platforms can facilitate these activities, whether it be virtual sessions with digitized politicians to debates with real-time fact-checking.

The University of Indiana is piloting a VR experience, Democracy Quest, to do just that. This learning tool is being tested in high school and college classrooms and offers “five learning modules focused on pivotal moments in U.S. history” (2024). Students will navigate historically accurate simulations, from an invitation to the Constitutional Convention to issues of today (2024). In between these scenarios, they will also play mini-games designed to keep users engaged with gameplay. Participant players in the pilot study found these activities to be “much more [engaging] than reading a chapter in a social studies textbook” (2024). But how can AI enhance this gameplay? AI can offer a dynamic and adaptive gaming experience in VR. Imagine, for example, that NPCs (non-playable characters) can perform complex interactions with users, such as adaptive dialogue. Data inputs like a user’s facial recognition, speech, and behavior helps these models respond and adapt in real-time, resulting in a more “intuitive, natural…and engaging” role-play experience (Thau, 2024). As XR grows in popularity, AI can assist in making these gaming experiences highly impactful for civics classrooms.

Collaborative Social Learning Platforms

Global citizenship education teaches students to practice civic education in a global context, learning about the experiences of other countries to “live together peacefully on one planet.” This might look like a civic education curriculum that considers the “interconnected nature” of world events to practice empathy and critical thinking (UNESCO, 2024). To facilitate these skills, many platforms have risen to connect students from around the world together to collaborate, socialize, and learn from one another through globally-relevant projects. For example, a platform called Generation Global supports secondary school students by facilitating projects, dialogues, and skill development between students from among 90 countries, with the goal of equipping these students with the “knowledge, skills, and attitudes to become active…global citizens” (Generation Global, n.d.). Generation Global even supports a youth ambassadorship program that encourages students to take on leadership roles within the platform, facilitating peer-to-peer leadership development in global contexts.

AI-driven tools can impact these experiences even further in the future. For cross-cultural dialogue between students, AI could generate real-time translation to allow seamless communication and understanding as students collaborate on projects. These conversations could also be moderated by AI technologies to ensure productive, safe, and accurate conversations, such as fact-checking features or flagging inappropriate content. Additionally, as AI’s cultural relevance continues to grow on a global scale, collaborative social learning platforms could also encourage youth to take charge of emerging AI ethics issues to ensure responsible use. These student leaders could be overseen by experts in AI, educators, and political actors to give voice to students on issues like privacy, bias, disinformation, and technology’s role in democracy. AI shows significant promise in the future of social learning and global citizenship education by enhancing collaboration and removing obstructions.

Data: AI-Powered Labs

Civic education must prepare students to one day solve complex social problems. Enter civics labs, where students analyze data, form hypotheses, and predict outcomes in challenging, real-world civic issues. From predicting election outcomes to understanding policy impacts, civic labs allow them to critically investigate and engage with democracy and civil society.

Generation Citizen (GC) is a nonprofit organization committed to fostering these skills and experiences through hands-on, project-based learning. Their initiatives are rooted in a desire to “[create] a more just, participatory, and inclusive country” through interactive educational tools (Generation Citizen, n.d.). GC’s civics lab curriculum guides students to explore real-world, local issues in their communities by collecting and analyzing data to recommend policy changes. Students venture into their communities and collect surveys, interviews, and secondary data reports to understand the scope of their issue. Once students have formed policy recommendations, they are challenged to defend their stance and showcase their work to a panel of judges made up of community members. This curriculum develops students’ data literacy, research skills, critical thinking, and personal stake in democracy.

While being able to conduct manual data analysis is an important skill, AI tools can automate many of these processes and introduce new ways of using data to solve complex issues in civics. According to Forbes, augmented data skills, or the ability to leverage AI tools to conduct data analysis processes, will be significantly sought after in the job market by 2030, underscoring the importance of integrating these features into educational tools (2023). Machine learning tools, for example, could guide students through the data analysis process by identifying trends in large data sets, or providing a reliable source database to practice augmented data collection. AI could also help students practice predictive data analysis; suppose, for example, that students are challenged to predict the outcomes of election decisions, policy changes, or global events using large pools of historic data sets. Here, students are practicing augmented data analysis to recognize the impact of real-world, historically-informed scenarios on democracy. These skills are not only in-demand but also demonstrate immense potential to enhance civic learning in the future.

Adaptive Learning and Personal Assistants

Educational tools are most impactful when they meet students where they are. Supporting learning for all students means providing accommodations for students with learning, visual, auditory, or physical disabilities. This means that a one-size-fits-all curriculum is not conducive for all learners; but what if learning tools were tailored to their student? Adaptive learning models powered by AI show significant progress in creating inclusive learning in the future, where hopefully accessibility is a standard practice. Using data tracking, these models provide personalized learning experiences to maximize learning outcomes. Adaptive learning systems track data like a student’s “progress, engagement, and performance” to adjust the user’s digital interface, provide tailored support, and meet individual needs (Montclair State University, n.d.).

Intelligent tutoring systems like Khan Academy have integrated adaptive modeling into their learning content. For example, Khan Academy launched “Khanmigo,” a personal homework assistant to provide generative, tailored learning support based on student prompts and progress. These features are also integrated into their Khan Academy content library, covering subjects from coding to humanities (Khanmigo, n.d.). As students navigate in-app lessons or practice problems, the adaptive learning system monitors their strengths and areas for improvement to modify instructional content on-demand. These systems can support students with disabilities by providing content at an individualized pace. Students with physical disabilities can also access instant transcripts, text-to-speech, screen readers, and task assistance, through automation, specific to their individual needs (Microsoft, 2021). These accessibility initiatives are crucial to the future of digital learning for civic education - and in general - for maximized, inclusive participation in democracy.