AI image tools (sometimes called deepfake generators) can take a simple photo and make it look like a student is in a place they’ve never been, wearing something they never wore, or doing something they never did. According to the Pew Research Center, nearly six in ten Americans already expect AI to have a major impact on online misinformation in the next decade.

After teaching digital literacy for 15 years, I've learned a few things (15 things to be exact) that I hope you’ll find useful—whether you are a parent, an educator, or like all of us, just trying to navigate technology mindfully.