Building Better Voters? Using AI to Develop Civic Skills
Abstract
Generative AI offers an opportunity for people to build a variety of civic skills outside of the traditional K-12 education system. In this paper, I test an AI chatbot's ability to provide me with relevant candidate and procedural information in advance of the 2025 Virginia gubernatorial elections. While the experience was overwhelmingly positive and could easily be adapted for naturalized citizens or American adults moving from state to state or to a new locality, it also highlights concerns about the possibility of hallucinations and reinforcement of existing inequalities in politics and society.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Ethics and Social Impacts of AI
Electoral Systems and Political Participation
Artificial Intelligence in Education
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Newhouse Impact Journal
- Volume
- 3
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 17–26
- Publication date
- 1 January 2026
- Language
- EN