Conceptualizing AI literacy: An exploratory review

TLDR

Artificial Intelligence is pervasive across industries, yet public understanding and definition of AI literacy remain under‑explored, posing challenges for future generations. The study aims to conceptualize AI literacy by establishing a theoretical foundation for its definition, instruction, and assessment. Through an exploratory review of 30 peer‑reviewed articles, the authors identified four dimensions—knowledge, application, evaluation, and ethics—adapted from traditional literacies to define AI literacy. The review consolidates a definition, pedagogical strategies, and ethical considerations for AI literacy, laying the groundwork for future competency development and assessment research.

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has spread across industries (e.g., business, science, art, education) to enhance user experience, improve work efficiency, and create many future job opportunities. However, public understanding of AI technologies and how to define AI literacy is under-explored. This vision poses upcoming challenges for our next generation to learn about AI. On this note, an exploratory review was conducted to conceptualize the newly emerging concept “AI literacy”, in search for a sound theoretical foundation to define, teach and evaluate AI literacy. Grounded in literature on 30 existing peer-reviewed articles, this review proposed four aspects (i.e., know and understand, use and apply, evaluate and create, and ethical issues) for fostering AI literacy based on the adaptation of classic literacies. This study sheds light on the consolidated definition, teaching, and ethical concerns on AI literacy, establishing the groundwork for future research such as competency development and assessment criteria on AI literacy.