NEW NSF-BACKED PROJECT AIMS TO HELP MIDDLE SCHOOLERS DECIDE WHAT TO TRUST IN THE AGE OF AI
University of Denver and The Tech Interactive to Co-Design Tool to Help Students Critically Evaluate AI-Generated
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Denver, CO and San Jose, CA, Sept. 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As artificial intelligence (AI) tools rapidly reshape how young people search, learn, create, and make sense of the world, a new U.S. National Science Foundation-backed project will help middle schoolers build a skill they increasingly need: the ability to determine what information to trust.
Students explore how to identify signs of AI-generated images during National AI Day 2026 at The Tech Interactive..
The University of Denver and The Tech Interactive have received a $50,000 planning award through the NSF FINDERS FOUNDRY program for “Co-Designing a Developmentally Grounded AI Literacy Tool for Grades 5-8,” a project led by Dr. Pilyoung Kim, director of the Brain, Artificial Intelligence, and Child (BAIC) Center at the University of Denver, in collaboration with The Tech Interactive in San Jose. The team will co-design a tool to help students independently and critically evaluate AI-generated information. Additional team members include Lauren Sabour, educator at Denver Language School; Merrick Weaver, parent at Denver Language School; and Monchu Chen, technologist at Google.
The award is part of NSF’s first-ever FINDERS FOUNDRY investment, which provides nearly $2.5 million to 50 interdisciplinary teams working across K-12 formal and informal learning spaces. NSF describes the program as a way to strengthen collaboration among educators, caregivers, technologists, and researchers to design evidence-based innovations for a digital, AI-driven future.
Together, the cross-sector team will bring research, classroom experience, family perspective, technology expertise, and informal learning design into one co-design process. The goal is to create a tool that reflects how students actually encounter AI-generated information at school, at home, and in daily life.
“Young people are already encountering AI-generated information on a regular basis,” said Katrina Stevens, president and CEO of The Tech Interactive. “The question is whether they will know how to question it, verify it, and understand the human choices behind it. This project is about helping students build agency, not fear, as they grow up in an AI-driven world.”
The award comes at a pivotal moment for AI literacy. Students in Grades 5-8 are old enough to explore digital tools and information independently, while still developing the critical reasoning skills they need to evaluate sources, identify bias, and understand when technology should or should not be trusted.
“Middle school is a powerful moment for AI literacy,” said Kim. “Students at this age are curious, thoughtful, and ready to wrestle with big questions about technology, fairness, creativity, and responsibility. By designing alongside educators, families, and students, our goal is to create a tool that supports both understanding and agency.”
The project builds on an existing collaboration between Kim and The Tech, where she served as a key advisor, developing AI literacy lessons for the organization’s National AI Literacy Day activations. Those lessons use hands-on activities and critical questioning to help students understand how AI works, how Artificial Intelligence differs from human intelligence and emotion, and how human bias and decisions shape technology.
As part of the planning phase, The Tech will host a working session in downtown San Jose to bring project partners and local teachers together and shape a proposal for a larger NSF development grant. The session is an important step in receiving teachers’ input on the design and will focus on uncovering student needs, establishing learning goals, engaging teachers in co-design, and planning for future tool development.
NSF FINDERS FOUNDRY supports interdisciplinary teams spanning K-12 formal and informal learning spaces as they develop education technology innovations rooted in real learning challenges. The first-ever cohort includes 50 teams from across the country. Planning awards support early-stage collaboration, stakeholder engagement, data collection, pilot testing, and early validation. Teams that receive planning awards are eligible to submit proposals for larger development awards.
About The Tech Interactive
The Tech Interactive is a hands-on science and innovation center in downtown San Jose that inspires the innovator in everyone. Through interactive exhibits, immersive experiences, educational programs, and community partnerships, The Tech helps people of all ages build confidence as creative problem-solvers and explore how science and technology can be used to make the world better.
The Tech’s AI literacy initiatives include hands-on exhibits, classroom lessons, educator resources, and public programs that help learners understand how AI works, ask better questions, evaluate AI-generated information, and consider the human choices behind emerging technologies. As part of San Jose’s growing AI ecosystem, The Tech is working to make AI literacy accessible, inclusive, and useful for students, educators, caregivers, and the broader community.
About the University of Denver
Founded in 1864, the University of Denver is a private university that empowers students who want to make a difference. Recognized as one of the top research universities in the country, DU has more than 200 academic programs serving about 12,000 graduate and undergraduate students. DU students benefit from an experience that channels passion to serve the public good. Visit the University’s Newsroom or follow the University on Facebook, LinkedIn and X.
About The U.S. National Science Foundation
The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that promotes the progress of science by investing in research to expand knowledge in science, engineering and education across all 50 states and territories. NSF supports nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and other institutions through competitive grants aimed at advancing science with broad impacts across the nation and its people. Learn more at nsf.gov.
Students take part in a hands-on AI literacy activity at The Tech Interactive, learning how to question, evaluate, and spot AI-generated content.
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