AI literacy as civic literacy: A case study of the “AI and human rights” curriculum for middle school students

While the younger generation immerses itself in AI technologies, governmental bodies are at the initial stages of investigating the technology’s implications on our rights and how it will be best regulated. There is an opportunity to complement AI education with civic understanding. This work introduces the “AI and human rights” curriculum, which consists of seven lessons on human rights, how technology shapes our rights, and the Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights. We summarize the experience of 50 middle school students who participated in a rights-based AI legislative simulation. Lastly, we will provide recommendations for how to engage youth in AI and human rights topics. We aim to share this work to raise awareness about the significance of AI literacy for youth citizenship while providing valuable guidance to educators and policy-makers seeking to implement similar initiatives.