INDIANA – Scouting America, the organization formerly known as the Boy Scouts, has launched two new merit badges focused on cutting-edge technology: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Cybersecurity.
The move is part of a broader effort to keep the organization, which has about a million members, relevant in an increasingly digital world.
Scouting America CEO Roger Krone stated that the organization aims to offer merit badges on topics that today’s youth find interesting.
The new badges aim to sharpen skills and explore new subjects, alongside the hundreds of existing badges offered.
- The AI badge challenges scouts to examine the effects of AI on daily life, learn about the impacts of deepfakes, and complete a project that either incorporates AI or clearly explains the technology to other scouts.
- The Cybersecurity badge teaches young people the tools needed “to stay safe and also keep themselves and their families secure against all of the threats,” according to Air Force officer Michael Dunn, who helped develop the badge. Dunn also noted that the badge introduces scouts to an industry facing a shortage of skilled workers.
This isn’t Scouting America’s first step into the AI space; it launched an AI chatbot, Scoutly, over the summer to answer questions about the organization.
The badges have been available for about a week, and some scouts have already earned them. Brothers Charles, 13, and Wydell Hendricks, 15, are among the first to complete the requirements.
Wydell Hendricks, who plans to pursue a cybersecurity role in the Air Force, emphasized that the experience teaches more than just technical skills, but also ethics. Charles Hendricks noted the badge has made him think more seriously about potential career opportunities in the field.
