As I have spent a bit of time scrolling social media platforms the past few weeks, I have seen an increasing amount of realistic AI generated images of moments from history, some of which were never actually captured on film, and in some cases, moments that never even happened. I have also seen hyper-realistic, fabricated images of current natural disasters and humanitarian crises, sometimes shared without any context. Perhaps even more problematic, individuals are using AI to generate misleading images of public figures or to depict imagined versions of current events as some might want them to unfold, rather than how they truly occurred. Educated adults are likely to recognize these images for what they are: artificial. However, I wonder if students who grow up inundated by AI generated content may be affected differently. After all, the line between truth and fabrication is growing harder to discern.

Students today are bombarded with digital content that they consume with a mere touch of a screen. Without a strong foundation in historical thinking and media literacy, students may struggle to question sources, recognize manipulation, or distinguish fact from fiction. When students understand the real stories of the past, when they have read primary sources, examined multiple perspectives, and built context, they are far more likely to recognize when a narrative has been twisted or manufactured.

So what can teachers do to combat the growing influence of AI generated misinformation? One powerful approach is to build students’ media literacy using the SIFT method: Stop, Investigate the source, Find better coverage, and Trace claims to their original context. This framework, developed by digital literacy Mike Caulfield, helps students develop the habit of pausing before trusting what they see online, especially when it comes to visuals. For example, when encountering a powerful image that has been circulated on social media, students can practice checking whether it is labeled as AI generated, research the source the image is shared from, find other sources that report on the topic, and then trace the media back to its original source to evaluate accuracy and context. 

Another strategy is to integrate “compare and contrast” exercises using real historical artifacts versus AI generated or dramatized versions of events. For example, students might analyze a real photograph from a moment in history and then evaluate an AI generated image depicting the same time period, discussing what is accurate, what feels manipulated, and why the difference matters. When students can see the difference between truth and fabrication they begin to build habits of mind that will protect them in a world of digital illusions.

If you are looking for ways to embed media literacy into multiple content areas through the lens of history/social studies, be sure to check out History Matters in an AI Era: Interdisciplinary Approaches for K-8. The book was designed for busy K–8 teachers looking for ways to integrate meaningful history instruction into a crowded school day, through ELA, science, mathematics, and even computer science. A favorite section of the book for many readers is the lesson launchpad, which offers practical, interdisciplinary strategies to help students make sense of the past, understand the present, and think critically about the world they are inheriting.

While we are unable stop misinformation from spreading, we can equip students with the tools to question what they see, to seek the truth, and to recognize the difference between a real moment in time and a convincing fabrication.

History literacy is not merely a “nice to have” in an AI era. It is a necessity.