Empowering Critical Minds: Media and Information Literacy in a Human–AI World

Wednesday, 07 January 2026 |
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Policy and Governance in Education

Empowering Critical Minds: Media and Information Literacy in a Human–AI World
Lai Cheng Wong, Senior Communication and Publication Manager, SEAMEO RECSAM

 


In early November 2025, I travelled to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia to facilitate a training workshop for over 30 curriculum developers, education researchers, and secondary school teachers on “Integrating Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Into Mongolia’s Secondary Education Curriculum”. Organised by the UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia and the Mongolian National Commission for UNESCO, the two-day training focused on embedding MIL meaningfully into teaching, learning and the national curriculum.

Digital environments now shaped by generative AI and emerging technologies are transforming how people access, interpret, and share information. This makes Media and Information Literacy (MIL) more critical than ever, yet its integration into education remains uneven, with many systems prioritizing technical digital skills over critical thinking.

Media and Information Literacy (MIL) goes far beyond technical skills or navigating digital platforms. UNESCO (2013) defines MIL as a set of competencies that empowers citizens to access, retrieve, understand, evaluate and use, to create as well as share information and media content in all formats, using various tools, in a critical, ethical and effective way, in order to participate and engage in personal, professional and societal activities.

The MIL workshop in Mongolia showed how UNESCO’s MIL components can be adapted within national education systems. Over two days, participants engaged in lectures, case studies, discussions, and lesson design activities, focusing on integrating MIL into Mathematics, Language and Literature, Arts, and Computer Science. Using UNESCO’s Media and Information Literate Citizens: Think Critically, Click Wisely module, educators developed lesson plans aligned with international standards yet adaptable to local contexts.


Ms Lai Cheng Wong (left) and Ms Melinda Quiñones (right), international experts, actively engaged with the feedback and reflections shared by the attendees during the session.

Lecture on Understanding MIL

 

For educators, MIL strengthens pedagogy, enriches classroom dialogue, and promotes safer digital engagement. As Southeast Asia advances its digital transformation, MIL is becoming a core 21st century competency essential for lifelong learning and responsible digital citizenship. Yet progress remains uneven. UNESCO (2025) reports that only 15 of 46 countries in Asia and the Pacific have integrated MIL into their national curricula. Based on available data at the time of research, in Asia and the Pacific, nearly half the region (22 of 46 countries) still limit MIL mainly to digital literacy, emphasizing technical skills over the critical thinking and evaluative dimensions that MIL requires.

“Almost a third of countries in the world limit MIL education to hard technical digital skills only, which fall short of fostering critical thinking” (UNESCO, 2025).

Meanwhile, in the SEAMEO region context, MIL remains a technical concept and researchers have emphasised the need for a multi-faceted approach to navigate the challenges and opportunities of the rapidly evolving digital landscape. Many Southeast Asian countries deliver digital skills mainly through standalone ICT or Computer Science subjects (UNESCO GEM Report, 2023). Some countries take a protectionist approach to media literacy which prioritizes information control over education (UNESCO Bangkok, 2020).

As a result, MIL is often not integrated into curricula, teachers receive limited training and efforts focus mostly on developing materials rather than building competencies. This highlights a key limitation. Technical digital skills alone are insufficient in an AI-driven world. Because AI is distinct from other technologies and directly affects human agency, learners must also develop critical thinking, ethical awareness, and the ability to question and assess how these systems operate.


Integrating MIL across Curriculum

“Systematic integration of MIL is still absent in majority of national education systems in the world” (UNESCO, 2025).

For educators, MIL strengthens pedagogy and enriches classroom dialogue. Globally, progress in integrating MIL into national curricula remains limited, in Asia and the Pacific, only 15 out of 46 countries, have introduced elements of MIL into their national curricula (UNESCO, 2025).

Highlighting the urgent need for global action to equip learners with critical skills for today’s complex information landscape, the Mongolia workshop focused on strengthening participants’ capacity to integrate MIL into daily teaching through purposeful lesson planning and contextualized, cross-subject applications.


Mathematics

Teachers examined how MIL enhances students’ ability to critically interpret data, graphs, and statistical claims often found in the media. Using examples like a misreported Mongolian headline claiming 157 million “tourists,” the session emphasized evaluating sampling, methodology and visual representation to prevent misinformation and strengthen informed citizenship.


Language and Literature

Participants explored how media messages are shaped through language, symbols, tone, and media framing. By applying literary analysis to media texts, teachers learned strategies to help students identify bias, distinguish fact from opinion, and recognize persuasive techniques.


Computer Science

This session addressed digital rights, privacy, online safety, and the influence of algorithms and AI. Real Mongolian cases including deepfake scams and a major hospital data breach highlighted cybersecurity risks and the need for students to understand digital footprints, algorithmic bias and technology’s ethical implications.


Arts and Digital Culture

Discussions centered on creativity, authorship, intellectual property, and responsible content creation. The case of an unauthorised AI-enhanced animation of Old Man Fiddler illustrated challenges related to cultural heritage, remix culture, and copyright. Participants examined both the opportunities and risks of AI in the arts, supporting ethical and creative digital participation.


A Call for Regional Action

The lessons from Mongolia are highly relevant for SEAMEO member countries, where Southeast Asia is among the world’s most digitally connected regions, especially among youth. Alongside opportunities, challenges such as misinformation, cyber risks, and algorithm-driven content shape public discourse and behaviour.

Inspired by Mongolia’s workshop, SEAMEO countries can strengthen MIL by integrating UNESCO’s components into curricula, embedding MIL in teacher training and developing shared regional resources. The inclusion of MIL at the secondary level reflects a strong consensus that adolescence is a pivotal stage for building critical media and information competencies. Countries are encouraged to adopt a blended approach by combining standalone MIL instruction with integration across multiple subjects to ensure effective implementation in schools and classrooms.

MIL also complements Southeast Asia’s AI literacy initiatives, keeping learning human-centered and empowering learners to understand technology, critically evaluate outputs and exercise their voice and choices in a data-driven world.

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