The Dawn of Generative AI-Enabled Political Activism: How Kenyan Gen Z Used ChatGPT and Protest GPTs to Mobilize

IF 4.3 2区社会学 Q2 COMPUTER SCIENCE, INTERDISCIPLINARY APPLICATIONS

Social Science Computer Review Pub Date : 2026-01-14 DOI:10.1177/08944393261416781

John Maina Karanja, Macrina Mbaika Musili

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

In June 2024, youth-led protests in Kenya against a controversial Finance Bill demonstrated the connection between digital technologies and political activism in the Global South. This study examines how generative artificial intelligence (GAI) shapes political participation by focusing on Kenyan Gen Z activists who used ChatGPT to create custom models: Finance_Bill_GPT, Corrupt_Politicians_GPT, and MPs_Contribution_GPT (collectively called Protest_GPT_KE). These tools simplified complex laws, exposed corruption, and mobilized young people online, allowing them to bypass traditional sources such as media and elites. However, using GAI for activism raises ethical and political concerns, including surveillance, data rights, and state repression. The study surveyed 374 Kenyan Gen Z participants, primarily in Nairobi, and used Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze the connections among AI use, tool appropriation, and political participation. Results show that ChatGPT use alone did not directly increase offline activism; its effect appeared when combined with Protest_GPT_KE and online participation. This study is one of the first to document how youth in the Global South are creatively using GAI for grassroots mobilization, demonstrating that GAI’s political influence depends on user innovation and context.

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生成人工智能支持的政治激进主义的曙光：肯尼亚Z世代如何使用聊天技术和抗议技术进行动员

2024年6月，肯尼亚青年领导的抗议活动反对一项有争议的财政法案，这表明数字技术与全球南方的政治激进主义之间存在联系。本研究考察了生成式人工智能（GAI）如何塑造政治参与，重点关注肯尼亚Z世代活动家，他们使用ChatGPT创建自定义模型：financie_bill_gpt， corrupt_politicans_gpt和MPs_Contribution_GPT（统称为Protest_GPT_KE）。这些工具简化了复杂的法律，揭露了腐败，并在网上动员了年轻人，使他们能够绕过媒体和精英等传统来源。然而，将GAI用于行动主义会引发道德和政治方面的担忧，包括监视、数据权利和国家镇压。该研究调查了374名肯尼亚Z世代参与者，主要在内罗毕，并使用偏最小二乘结构方程模型（PLS-SEM）来分析人工智能使用、工具使用和政治参与之间的联系。结果表明，单独使用ChatGPT并没有直接增加线下活动；当与Protest_GPT_KE和在线参与结合使用时，效果就显现出来了。这项研究首次记录了全球南方的年轻人如何创造性地使用GAI进行基层动员，表明GAI的政治影响力取决于用户创新和背景。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Social Science Computer Review 社会科学-计算机：跨学科应用

CiteScore

9.00

自引率

4.90%

发文量

审稿时长

>12 weeks

期刊介绍： Unique Scope Social Science Computer Review is an interdisciplinary journal covering social science instructional and research applications of computing, as well as societal impacts of informational technology. Topics included: artificial intelligence, business, computational social science theory, computer-assisted survey research, computer-based qualitative analysis, computer simulation, economic modeling, electronic modeling, electronic publishing, geographic information systems, instrumentation and research tools, public administration, social impacts of computing and telecommunications, software evaluation, world-wide web resources for social scientists. Interdisciplinary Nature Because the Uses and impacts of computing are interdisciplinary, so is Social Science Computer Review. The journal is of direct relevance to scholars and scientists in a wide variety of disciplines. In its pages you''ll find work in the following areas: sociology, anthropology, political science, economics, psychology, computer literacy, computer applications, and methodology.