Scouts can now earn AI and cybersecurity badges
Scouting America introduces AI and cybersecurity merit badges, preparing members with digital skills for the future.
In the United States, Scouting America, formerly known as the Boy Scouts, has introduced two new merit badges in AI and cybersecurity. The badges give scouts the opportunity to explore modern technology and understand its applications, while the organisation continues to adapt its programs to a digital era. Scouting America has around a million members and offers hundreds of merit badges across a wide range of skills.
The AI badge challenges scouts to examine AI’s effects on daily life, study deepfakes, and complete projects that demonstrate AI concepts. The cybersecurity badge teaches practical tools to stay safe online, emphasises ethical behaviour, and introduces scouts to a career field with thousands of unfilled positions.
Earlier this year, Scouting America launched Scoutly, an AI-powered chatbot designed to answer questions about the organisation and its merit badges. The initiative is part of Scouting America’s broader effort to modernise its programs and prepare young people for opportunities in an increasingly digital world.
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