Political Education amid Ai-Influence: Student Perceptions of Political Manipulation by Generative AI

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-626-0_2How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Political Education; AI Influence; Student Perceptions; Political Manipulation; Generative AI

Abstract

The development of generative artificial intelligence has introduced new risks in the form of political manipulation through disinformation and deepfakes, which are becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish from authentic political narratives. College students, as first-time voters and agents of social change, occupy a strategic yet vulnerable position regarding this phenomenon. This study aims to uncover students’ perceptions of AI-based political manipulation, its impact on their political views, and the role of political education in addressing these challenges. The study employs a phenomenological qualitative approach supplemented by case studies, utilizing three data collection techniques: a content identification experiment, in-depth interviews, and focused group discussions with students in the cities of Malang and Yogyakarta. Thematic analysis according to Braun and Clarke reveals that students possess a functional yet uneven perceptual awareness of manipulative content; they tend to perceive themselves as resistant to AI’s influence while acknowledging others’ vulnerability; and they assess that formal political education remains inadequate in integrating AI literacy into the curriculum. These findings underscore the urgency of transforming civic education as a pillar of social resilience in the face of a crisis of public trust caused by AI-based political manipulation.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Zulfikar Waliyuddin Fattah
AU  - Akhirul Aminullah
AU  - Hanafi Hanafi
AU  - Ratu Suci Sholikhah Wati
AU  - Galang Putra Nusantara
AU  - Alfin Harits Norma Wildan
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/29
TI  - Political Education amid Ai-Influence: Student Perceptions of Political Manipulation by Generative AI
BT  - Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Citizenship Education and Democratic Issues (ICCEDI 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 4
EP  - 11
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-626-0_2
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-626-0_2
ID  - Fattah2026
ER  -