This AI Literacy Review covers AI transparency developments in Australia, prototypes built with Generative AI, AI literacy in museums and libraries, UNESCO’s long-awaited release of AI frameworks for teachers and students, interest in AI policies and recommendations for educators in the US and Australia, more AI literacy frameworks, Minecraft’s AI foundations program, and more.
General
More people are experimenting and posting about their successes with using AI technologies to build websites and prototypes without needing to know how to code, suggesting that AI literacy is lowering barriers into other technological areas. (see Kyle Shannon’s functional MVP of a memory map, Darren Coxon’s full-stack website to host a course, and Jessica L. Parker’s creation of a corpus of ChatGPT conversations).
An update on a previous AI Literacy Review entry about research on ChatGPT and different languages: Marijana Asprovska and Nathan Hunter’s article The Tokenization Problem: Understanding Generative AI’s Computational Language Bias has been published in the open-access journal Ubiquity Proceedings. This research looks into how ChatGPT tokenizes texts in different languages and how this leads to potential inequalities for non-English speakers.
The journal article Artificial intelligence capital and employment prospects [paywalled] by Nick Drydakis in Oxford Economic Papers looks at a study of how university graduates with AI knowledge and skills from a business module received more job interviews and opportunities for higher-paying positions.
Museums & Libraries
The American Alliance of Museums’ Center for the Future of Museums blog posts an update on Cultivating AI: Developing AI Guidelines and Literacy Resources at the Carter, authored by Michelle Padilla and Jane Thaler. They discuss how they set up an AI working group and identified a gap in AI literacy among staff, and that their next phase is drafting guidelines and a public statement on AI use.
Leo Lo writes that his second AI literacy study of academic library staff found significant barriers to adoptions, including a lack of access to premium tools, knowledge gaps, time constraints in upskilling, and institutional resistance. (see Leo Lo’s LinkedIn post)
Education
UNESCO releases its AI Competency Framework for Teachers with 15 competencies across 5 dimensions: Human-centred mindset, Ethics of AI, AI foundations and applications, AI pedagogy, and AI for professional learning. It addresses the gap in guidance for educators by defining the knowledge, skills, and values that teachers need. Tim Evans has created an infographic version of the framework for teachers with key points.
UNESCO also releases its AI Competency Framework for Students with 12 competencies across 4 dimensions: Human-centred mindset, Ethics of AI, AI techniques and applications, and AI system design. The framework aims to help educators integrate AI into the school curriculum and help students engage safely and meaningfully with AI technology. Tim Evans has also created an infographic version of the framework for students with key points.
The American Association of Colleges and Universities has 124 higher education institutions participating in its Institute on AI, Pedagogy, and the Curriculum to help educators respond to AI in their courses and curricula. It runs until April 2025 and includes virtual events, mentorship, and interactions to connect campuses in their journey.
The State Educational Technology Directors Association releases the 2024 State EdTech Trends survey and report that shows the ways U.S. states are supporting equitable use of edtech tools, developing policies to guide AI usage in K-12, and handling cybersecurity. There was a big leap in interest in AI compared to 2023, going from 54% to 92% across the 46 states in the survey.
The House Standing Committee on Employment, Education and Training in Australia prepares a report on the use of Generative AI in the education system. The report features 25 recommendations, including that the Australian Government offer more training for educators on AI and that universities and TAFEs embed Generative AI competencies and skills across all of their courses and degrees. Librarian Carlo Iacono offers some thoughts on how to practically implement these and how librarians and digital literacy specialists can play a role. (see Carlo Iacono’s LinkedIn post)
Evergreen AI releases its competency-based AI Literacy Model that’s meant to be integrated into existing curricula from K-12 so students are empowered to engage with AI safely, ethically, and effectively. There are 6 domains: AI Essentials, Future-Ready Thinking, Wayfinding, AI-Leveraged Innovation, Human-Machine Collaboration, and Ethical & Societal Implications.
In Introducing The TCEA AI Literacy Framework For Students: Empowering The Next Generation, Lori Gracey discusses the release of the Texas Computer Education Association’s AI Literacy Framework as a roadmap for how to integrate AI concepts into the classroom in age-appropriate ways.
Minecraft Education offers an AI Foundations program that teaches AI literacy basics through animated videos and real-world scenarios in Minecraft worlds. Educators can access a curriculum guide if they want to supplement their core curriculum.
In Access to premium AI services is a significant concern for students, Naima Rahman and Gunter Saunders at the University of Westminster write about the findings showing that students are concerned about access to premium AI services and that students want a more comprehensive approach to AI literacy, beyond ChatGPT tutorials. They found enthusiasm for discussion workshops on AI that explore ethics, societal impacts, and the future of jobs, and AI literacy programs that are integrated into the curriculum, alongside clear ethical guidelines.
Pat Yongpradit writes about how Armenia, Brazil, China, Singapore, and S. Korea are advancing AI literacy and already have computer science as a mandatory part of schooling, while in the US only 11 states have it as a graduation requirement. He argues that a basic understanding of computer science principles is important to AI literacy. (see Pat Yongpradit’s LinkedIn post)
In Wake Up, Academia: The AI Revolution Waits for No One in Inside Higher Ed, Angela Virtu writes about how American University’s Kogod School of Business wants to ensure every student understands AI before graduation. It is investing in faculty upskilling and appointed an AI instruction faculty fellow to put together AI training programs to keep everyone up-to-date. It is also hosting a monthly AI coffee chat for faculty to discuss what’s happening and troubleshoot challenges.
Christina Supe discusses the concept of Significant Human Authorship in writing and educational organizations’ AI policy planning. (see Christina Supe’s LinkedIn post)
In the paper AI Literacy for Cultural and Design Studies, Sophie Schauer and Katharina Simbeck from HTW University of Applied Sciences in Germany discuss what AI competencies might be suitable for students in culture and design programs.
Boise State University launches a new campus-wide certificate program called Artificial Intelligence for All designed to give students the skills to use AI and navigate the ethical dilemmas it poses.
