Generation Z’s Civic Engagement in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: An Integrative Literature Review and Implications for Civic Education

Rezki Setiawati; Yayuk Hidayah

doi:10.59923/joinme.v4i3.973

Authors

Rezki Setiawati Study Program of Pancasila and Civic Education, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Yayuk Hidayah Study Program of Pancasila and Civic Education, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59923/joinme.v4i3.973

Keywords:

Artificial Intelligence, Civic Education, Civic Engagement, Digital Citizenship, Generation Z

Abstract

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the information environment in which Generation Z learns about and acts on public issues, yet existing reviews have examined AI and youth political participation without linking these changes to the goals of Civic Education. This study aims to synthesize how AI transforms Generation Z’s civic engagement and to identify its implications for Civic Education. An integrative literature review, reported in line with the PRISMA 2020 principles, was conducted on peer-reviewed articles, conference proceedings, and policy reports published between 2023 and 2026 and retrieved from Scopus and Google Scholar in July 2026; 19 documents met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed through thematic synthesis. The findings reveal three interrelated shifts: (1) a shift in the spaces of engagement from physical and institutional settings to networked digital spaces; (2) a shift in the ways of engagement, as social media, civic technologies, and generative AI are used to access information, express aspirations, produce content, advocate, and mobilize; and (3) a shift in the capacity of engagement, as generative AI accelerates information processing and content production. These shifts are accompanied by misinformation, manipulation, privacy risks, and unequal access, while direct empirical evidence on Generation Z’s own use of generative AI for civic purposes remains scarce. The study contributes a three-shift conceptual model and concludes that Civic Education should integrate AI literacy, critical verification skills, digital ethics, and project-based civic practice so that Generation Z can participate critically, ethically, and responsibly.

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