AI as a media literacy educational tool: Developing critical technology awareness

Moving with the integration of Artificial intelligence (AI) in teaching, this paper examines the possibility of incorporating artificial intelligence in media literacy education to prepare students with conventional technology consciousness mainly in the complex and highly computerized society today. This research aims to find out how students benefit from AI as a teaching aid in developing competencies in the analysis of AI-mediated media content, and algorithmic and ethical reasoning. This study adopted a mixed-methods research design with a quasi-experimental design to compare an experimental group that took media literacy combined with artificial intelligence instruction with a control group taking traditional media literacy instruction. For analysis, quantitative data showed that the experimental group gained substantial insight into biases, AI-created material assessment, and the impacts of algorithms on the creation and consumption of content. Focus group and interview data also reinforced the improvement of the experimental group’s understanding of AI in defining media experiences & critical reflection on ethical themes such as privacy, fairness, and justice. The results of this study support the view on the ability of AI to upskill learners in critical thinking, as well as promote ethical thinking within the usage of digital media. The study adds to existing literature that needs to draw the attention of academic circles to the potential of integrating AI into educational models; stressing that it is capable of preparing students for the intricacies of the media environments in the age of AI. Based on this research, media literacy education with the help of AI-integrated curricula may be considered as one of the most effective methods to promote AI education in technical and ethical fields of media usage. Media literacy education, therefore, calls for a change of approach to prepare students to deal with the implications of assimilated AI technologies, for the production of critical and ethical users of information technology. Implications for future curriculum development and research work are some of the study’s findings that suggest the following: Long-term effects of AI-based interventions; The generalization of the findings in other educational contexts.