Artificial Intelligence and Media and Information Literacy in Africa: A Framework for Trust, Critical Evaluation, and Ethical Engagement, Kenya

Abstract

The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into media ecosystems is reshaping how information is produced, distributed, and consumed, raising urgent concerns about trust, misinformation, and public understanding. Traditional Media and Information Literacy (MIL) frameworks, designed for human-generated content, are insufficient for AI-mediated communication. Guided by a systematic literature review of 68 sources following PRISMA principles, this paper synthesises scholarship across media studies, communication, and AI ethics to identify conceptual gaps in existing approaches and to develop an AI-Integrated Media and Information Literacy (AI-MIL) framework. The framework integrates five interdependent components—algorithmic awareness, critical evaluation of AI content, trust calibration, ethical engagement, and digital inclusion—into a dynamic, non-linear model. Foregrounding African and Global South realities of mobile-first access, encrypted-network misinformation, linguistic diversity, and structural inequality, it reconceptualises literacy as calibrated trust and critical engagement rather than blanket scepticism. The framework offers theoretical advancement and practical relevance for media education, policy, and development communication in AI-driven information societies and yields five testable propositions to guide future empirical research in African contexts.