"The lack of AI comprehension in Gen Alpha is a growing concern - delaying education in this area will make it increasingly difficult to impart knowledge that should have been taught from the beginning."
In the rapidly evolving digital landscape, the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on content creation and sharing is becoming increasingly significant, particularly for Gen Alpha, individuals born after 2010. This shift has sparked concerns among educators, parents, and policymakers, as the line between real and AI-generated content grows increasingly blurred.
Recent events, such as the provincewide warning issued by Alberta police in June 2025, highlight the urgency of the situation. Nearly 4,000 sexually explicit AI-generated deepfake images and videos of youth were reported between 2023 and 2024, underscoring the need for effective AI literacy education.
School librarians have expressed concerns about students' lack of skills to critically assess AI-generated content. This deficiency is compounded by the high level of realism exhibited by AI-generated content, which can resemble anything from casual street interviews to reimagined historical events, complete with natural lighting, lifelike gestures, and believable pacing.
The realism of AI-generated content is making it harder for children and adults to distinguish it from real footage. By the age of five or six, children typically understand that content defying basic logic is imaginary, but AI-generated content removes the cues they rely on. As children's reasoning becomes more refined between the ages of seven and eight, AI-generated content blends seamlessly into their feed, making it harder for them to tell if they are watching a person or a program pretending to be one.
To address these challenges, lessons on deepfakes, evaluation of AI-generated media, and principles of data rights and consent should be included in AI literacy education taught at age-appropriate levels throughout Grades K-12. However, there is no consistency across jurisdictions or a unified framework for AI education. A national K-12 AI strategy is needed to align provincial efforts and ensure consistent instruction across provinces.
Ontario is one of the provinces piloting AI education initiatives. Despite these efforts, a 2023 review of AI literacy efforts found that most programs neither assess what students understand nor give much attention to the broader socioeconomic consequences of poorly applied machine learning.
The misuse of AI in exploitative and deceptive ways is a growing concern, as children are encountering misinformation and faulty AI-generated educational content. To equip educators with the necessary skills, required AI training for teachers entering the profession and as part of ongoing professional development is essential.
However, less than half (48%) of educators interviewed felt equipped to use AI tools in the classroom. To bridge this gap, it is crucial to raise the confidence and readiness of educators to teach responsible AI use (46%) and effectively use artificial intelligence (42%).
The organization that conducted a study on AI literacy efforts in 2023 is represented by Ottenbreit-Leftwich et al., who proposed a multidimensional framework for teacher preparedness in AI literacy that year. However, the specific organization name is not explicitly given in the provided sources.
Gaps in digital competence are tied to educational and civic outcomes, such as school performance, access to online opportunities, and political and societal participation. As such, it is essential to ensure that all students, regardless of their location, have access to comprehensive AI literacy education to navigate the digital world confidently and responsibly.
Many parents lack the knowledge, tools, or guidance needed to manage their children's exposure to AI tools and to evaluate and consent to the use of apps and devices that collect their children's data. In this digital age, it is crucial for parents to be informed and proactive in safeguarding their children's digital wellbeing.
Google Veo 3 is an example of a tool that can generate high-resolution photorealistic videos from a single text prompt, showcasing the advanced capabilities of AI. As AI continues to reshape our world, it is essential for all of us to be AI-literate to make informed decisions and to foster a digital environment that is safe, ethical, and beneficial for everyone.
