What is AI Literacy? Competencies and Design Considerations

TLDR

Artificial intelligence is increasingly integrated into user‑facing technology, yet public understanding of these systems remains limited. This study seeks to identify the competencies users require to interact with and critically evaluate AI, and to design learner‑centered AI technologies that enhance user understanding. The authors synthesize interdisciplinary literature to define AI literacy, delineate core competencies, and propose design considerations, organized within a conceptual framework. These contributions aim to spark discussion and direct future HCI research on AI literacy.

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly integrated in user-facing technology, but public understanding of these technologies is often limited. There is a need for additional HCI research investigating a) what competencies users need in order to effectively interact with and critically evaluate AI and b) how to design learner-centered AI technologies that foster increased user understanding of AI. This paper takes a step towards realizing both of these goals by providing a concrete definition of AI literacy based on existing research. We synthesize a variety of interdisciplinary literature into a set of core competencies of AI literacy and suggest several design considerations to support AI developers and educators in creating learner-centered AI. These competencies and design considerations are organized in a conceptual framework thematically derived from the literature. This paper's contributions can be used to start a conversation about and guide future research on AI literacy within the HCI community.