Assessing the Impact of AI on Political Science Information Literacy Instruction

For political science instructors and librarians, information literacy education has long been a primary learning objective to support students’ comprehension of all types of media and research material. Incorporating AI along with other “literacies” will require additional support and learning for instructors and librarians, who are adapting simultaneously to technological advances. In order to understand the impact of AI on librarians working with political science degree programs, the authors conducted a survey and interviews in 2026 to ascertain their self-assessed competency with AI concepts and tools, as well as their experience and confidence in teaching AI literacy. We found that respondents share concerns expressed in the political science education literature about cognitive offloading, and are acutely aware of the functional and ethical limitations of GAI. Librarians see AI literacy as an extension of traditional information literacy skills, and worthy of dedicated time to cultivate these skills in the classroom.