Critical Consciousness Development & Preservation in Black Youth in the Era of Generative AI
By Kweli Zukeri, Ph.D. and Brielle N. Brookins, Ph.D.
Independent Scholar
Independent Scholar
Published in Freedom: Volume 3
Keywords
Critical Consciousness, Generative AI, Black Children, Cognitive Offloading, Critical AI Literacy
Abstract
Critical consciousness (CC) is a psychological toolset that empowers Black youth, as well as youth from other marginalized groups. It consists of three components: awareness of the historical context that shapes the present, belief in one’s own power to affect their social and political circumstances, and the habit of taking action to mitigate oppression that impacts them. CC is both a process and reflects an orientation that is linked to many positive outcomes, including self-efficacy, academic achievement, and civic engagement. The rising presence of generative AI (genAI) in young people’s academic and social lives carries both significant risks and opportunities, which have yet to be thoroughly examined. While the authors reject the narrative pushed by big tech that genAI saturation in education must happen immediately and ubiquitously, they recognize that youth will ultimately use these tools, whether sanctioned by educators and caretakers or not, as well as that digital and technological domains contain opportunities to catalyze CC development. Therefore, it is essential that Black youth develop the capacity to engage genAI through a CC lens in ways that support their cognitive growth while allowing them to harness the technology for their own benefit. This article explores how CC can be cultivated and why it matters, the risks that unguided genAI use poses to young people’s mental and cognitive wellbeing, the protective role CC can play, and proposes operational principles that support Black youth using genAI in a way that strengthens their CC.
Digital Object Identifier
DOI: https://DOI.org/10.65373/XYKU2174
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