This AI Literacy Review looks at how teens are using Generative AI without teacher or parental involvement, workers’ poor assessment of organizational AI training programs, executives not adopting the tools themselves, LinkedIn opting in users to training their AI models, US Congress briefing on AI and education, the deepening digital divide, Google and Salesforce offering millions in grants, and experts speaking on AI in education.
General
Skillsoft releases research on workplace skills, finding that 43% of 2,500 respondents across the US, UK, Germany, and India thought their greatest skill gap was AI/machine learning skills. 62% said their organization’s AI training program was average to poor.
Common Sense Media’s 2024 report The Dawn of the AI Era: Teens, Parents, and the Adoption of Generative AI at Home and School finds that 7 in 10 teens have used Gen. AI, especially for homework help. 46% of those did so without their teacher’s permission, and many parents are unaware or unsure whether their children are using Gen. AI tools. 49% of parents said they hadn’t talked about Gen. AI with their teen. The survey found gender and ethnicity differences, and it also showed that teens who have had class discussions about the technology are more likely to have nuanced views about it and consider how it relates to their future.
Ethan Mollick points out that a key factor in successful AI adoption is having executives experiment with the tools themselves, then feel more urgency to move towards transformation. If execs aren’t AI literate, it becomes harder for the company to move in that direction. (see Ethan Mollick’s LinkedIn post)
LinkedIn auto opts users into training AI models on their content and people announce this to their followers with instructions on how to toggle this setting off. This raises issues of data privacy, compensation, and ethical practices around AI training and social media.
Education
Amos Fodchuk offers four key takeaways from the US Congress briefing on AI and education event: literacy for all, a divide already exists, equity for differentiation in education faces challenges, and innovation needs systemic organizational change to create purposeful learning for everyone. (see Amos Fodchuk’s LinkedIn post)
In Using Learning Science To Analyze the Risks and Benefits of AI in K-12 Education, the Center for American Progress looks at the equity implications of expanding AI tools in education, including a deepening of the digital divide, reduced access to cognitive science principles, and disrupted supportive learning environments. It recommends that leaders find ways for low-income schools to develop AI literacy in students and ensure that access to humans does not become an educational luxury.
Google.org announces $25 million to five education organizations to help support educators and students with foundational AI skills as part of its AI Opportunity Fund.
Salesforce announces $23 million in grants for US school districts and global education nonprofits to help provide students with skills including in AI and STEM.
Harvard Graduate School of Education hosts an Askwith Education Forum titled How AI Is Shaping the Future of Education with a panel of AI experts discussing the rise of Generative AI in the classroom. The session recording is available on YouTube.
Dr Mahsa McCauley presents at the Independent Tertiary Education NZ conference on the importance of AI literacy as the new digital literacy and educators’ responsibility to equip students with the necessary skills for a tech-driven world. (see Mahsa McCauley’s LinkedIn post)
Mike Kentz features on an AI for Education webinar titled Stop Grading Essays, Start Grading Chats: Reimagining Assessment about how to grade students’ Generative AI chats and help them build AI literacy in the process.
Vera Cubero discusses the blurring of lines between human and AI with the rollout of voice modes, generated podcasts, and embodied AI robots, and how the best and only defense is AI literacy for all. (see Vera Cubero’s LinkedIn post)
