The purpose of this study is to examine the views of middle school students regarding artificial intelligence (AI) within the context of Social Studies education. The increasing visibility of AI technologies in educational settings renders it essential to understand students’ perceptions, evaluations, and levels of awareness concerning this concept. In this regard, the study not only aimed to reveal students’ basic definitions of AI but also sought to systematically identify their perceptions related to its fields of application and value-oriented dimensions. Specifically, the research explored how students define AI, the domains in which they acknowledge its use, and the extent to which they recognize its ethical and societal implications.Adopting a basic qualitative research design, the study collected data through semi-structured interviews, which allowed students to articulate their individual experiences in detail. The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive analysis, and the emerging findings were interpreted under thematic categories. The participants consisted of 5th, 6th, and 7th grade students selected through convenience sampling. Including students from different grade levels enabled the identification of variations in perceptions associated with age differences.The findings indicate that students largely recognize AI through their personal technological experiences, frequently associating the concept with tools such as voice assistants, recommendation systems, and robotic devices. In addition, social media applications, online games, and digital learning platforms were also mentioned as contexts in which students make sense of AI. Students’ views on AI’s role in decision-making and thinking processes demonstrated diversity across both technical and cognitive dimensions, while critical perspectives on ethical and social issues were particularly noteworthy. Moreover, students emphasized that AI could support humans in fields such as education, health, and transportation, and they suggested that this technology may feature in future inventions with creative, innovative, and socially beneficial roles. Overall, the results demonstrate that students are developing a multidimensional, critical, and value-oriented awareness of AI.

Artificial intelligence, social studies education, middle school, student perceptions