Intergenerational AI Literacy in Korean Immigrant Families: Interpretive Gatekeeping Meets Convenient Critical Deferment

Abstract: As AI becomes deeply integrated into family life, immigrant families must navigate unique intergenerational, linguistic, and cultural challenges. This study examines how Korean immigrant families in the United States negotiate the use of AI tools such as ChatGPT and smart assistants in their homes. Through 20 semi-structured interviews with parents and teens, we identify two key practices that shape their engagement: interpretive gatekeeping, where parents mediate their children's AI use through a lens of cultural and ethical values, and convenient critical deferment, where teens strategically postpone critical evaluation of AI for immediate academic and social utility. These intertwined practices challenge conventional, skills-based models of AI literacy, revealing it instead as a dynamic and relational practice co-constructed through ongoing family negotiation. We contribute to information science and HCI by offering a new conceptual extension for intergenerational AI literacy and providing design implications for more equitable, culturally attuned, and family-centered AI systems.