Some of the opportunities AI introduces for digital citizenship within Canadian education are that they are offering entry-level AI training for all Canadians, providing access to trusted AI agents for post-secondary students, providing many AI-related jobs and work placement opportunities, launching an AI missions program and providing training for workers so they can adapt to AI-enabled workplaces. Some of the risks this generates for digital citizenship within Canadian education include concerns about privacy and data security. As students may share personal information with AI tools, this information may go somewhere. Another risk would be misinformation spreading. Students may ask AI questions but won’t be able to tell the difference if it’s true or not.
Media literacy plays a role in literacy education in the way that it empowers learners to critically assess AI-generated content, misinformation, and extremist narratives online by helping students learn how to verify information by checking sources, develops awareness of AI generated media and misinformation, and helps build confidence in using AI while also understanding the potential risks that are involved.
Canadian policies and educational initiatives are increasingly addressing AI-driven misinformation and online radicalization through investments in AI literacy, digital skills education, and the promotion of responsible AI use. Canada has taken important steps to combat AI-driven misinformation and online radicalization by supporting AI literacy programs, digital skills training, and ethical AI development. Efforts by Canadian governments and educational institutions are helping to address AI-related misinformation and online radicalization through enhanced AI education, digital literacy initiatives, and responsible AI practices.
An example of AI-amplified misinformation that I have observed on Canadian social media would be deepfakes including politicians. Deepfakes are images, videos or audio recordings that have been digitally altered using AI. Deepfake videos depict people doing or saying things that they never did. These types of videos spread very quickly on social media platforms. During elections, deepfakes can be used to mislead voters and influence political opinions. On the Government of Canada website, they released an article about how deepfakes are a threat to a Canadian future. This article gives real life examples of how deepfakes have caused many people harm.
Here is one of the examples: “In 2019, Rana Ayyub, an investigative journalist for the Washington Post, spoke out against a political party in India that was protecting the rapist of an eight-year-old Indian girl In response, a deepfake porn video of Ayyub was produced, which went viral within 48 hours. Following the release of the deepfake, Ayyub received death threats, as well as racist and misogynistic comments. Not surprisingly, for a period of time, Ayyub completely disappeared from social media and stopped reporting.”
The Government of Canada website also highlights the privacy violations as AI collects, processes, analyzes and stores significant volumes of data. This is how it is able to create and target content that is relatable to its viewers. This raises concerns about whether personal information is being collected and used ethically. PIPEDA emphasizes the need for transparency, consent, and protection of personal information.
A proposal of a media literacy curriculum segment that teaches learners/employees to assess AI-driven social media content critically would be a session on how to tell the difference between a deepfake video and something that actually happened. I know for me I have seen quite a few videos that have been fake that I genuinely thought were real. Within this session we could also practice the ability to fact check and verify different information through trusted sources.
I liked how you detailed the benefits and risks of AI in education. Your points about AI training opportunities, privacy concerns, and misinformation were clear and easy to understand, and the deepfake example was especially effective as it showed how AI-generated content can have real consequences.
One possible suggestion would be to add a specific example of a Canadian policy/program and briefly explaining its efficacy. I also liked your idea of teaching people how to identify deepfakes, and including a fact-checking tool or trusted resource could make that suggestion even more practical.
Overall, this was a thoughtful and informative post that highlights why media literacy is becoming more prevalent with the growth of AI.
Hey Ella! I really enjoyed reading your blog post and many things stuck out to me! I have also seen the deepfakes during election where politicians are AI generated and made to look like they are saying something or doing something wrong. I find this very alarming because this can quickly change peoples opinion and as you mentioned, fake news spreads very fast. Even as a viewer, I find it very hard to notice what is real or AI generated as I am scrolling on social media. I am glad Canadians are going to be getting the training they need in order to detect AI and recognize possible biases, misinformation, and privacy concerns. I think these A! programs should be incorporated into schools / education / workplaces as soon as possible because AI has become a very popular resource being used very differently amongst the globe. The more we become aware/familiar with it, the less risks there will be. Thanks for sharing!!
Hi Ella,
I really liked how you discussed both the pros and cons of bringing AI into both education and the workforce, while also discussing how media literacy can help make AI use safer and more accessible to all. Misinformation and deepfakes from AI have become more prevalent over the past few years and its really important that we learn how to adapt to that, so I appreciate you bringing it up!
I like how you not only provided an example of how impactful deepfakes in the media can be, but also drew the personal connection of having seen deepfakes online and struggling to differentiate whether they were true or false. This allowed the viewers of your post to draw a more personal connection.
Thanks for sharing!