This AI Literacy Review covers research on AI literacy assessment, marketers and journalists adopting ChatGPT, women’s perceived need for training first, experts plus AI, American Bar Association’s opinion on Generative AI, AI skills in demand for MBAs, the AI divide, AI in course syllabi, US states’ guidance, and AI training for students to prepare for the workforce.
General
Tomáš Lintner publishes A systematic review of AI literacy scales in Nature’s journal npj Science of Learning, which reviews the quality of AI literacy assessment used in other studies for the general public, students, and teachers.
Ethan Mollick posts about a survey of ChatGPT adoption in Denmark (100,000 workers from 11 occupations) that showed marketing professionals and journalists were most likely to have used it at work. Mollick notes that we should be paying more attention to who isn’t using it (late adopters) and may be missing out. (see Ethan Mollick’s LinkedIn post)
Mollick also posts about the “genie that can no longer be put back into a bottle, for better or worse: super high quality AI image generation”, saying that we really can’t trust anything we see anymore. (see Ethan Mollick’s LinkedIn post)
The same Denmark survey shows women are 20% less likely to use ChatGPT at work for the same occupation. They are more likely to not use it due to a perceived need for training, even though they see productivity potential in the tool at the same percentage as men.
Philippa Hardman reports on the final test of her investigation into how close AI is to replacing instructional designers, again showing that the experts working with AI produced the highest quality work. She notes that the top skills are deep knowledge of instructional design and structured prompting skills. (see Philippa Hardman’s LinkedIn post)
Judge Scott Schlegel notes that the American Bar Association has issued a formal opinion about the ethical considerations for lawyers when they are using Gen. AI. It covers risks, duty to disclose, policies for responsible use, and more. (see Judge Scott Schlegel’s LinkedIn post)
According to Marc Ethier’s article Tech & AI Are Soaring Up The List Of Most Important Skills Recruiters Want From MBAs: Survey, the Graduate Management Admission Council’s annual survey of nearly 1,000 corporate recruiters and staffing firms around the world shows that tech/IT skills are 3rd in demand over the next 5 years, and AI skills are 4th, rising up from 21st place in the previous survey. Recruiters said they want business schools grads to know AI so they can learn new skills and develop business strategy and make decisions, more so than generating content.
Conor Grennan writes that successful MBA graduates chase their passion and talent and then upskill, and that the most important skill to learn right now is Gen. AI. (see Conor Grennan’s LinkedIn post)
Susan Gonzalez of AIandYou in AI literacy and the new Digital Divide – A Global Call for Action on the UNESCO site discusses the newly emerging AI divide and how marginalized communities will bear the brunt of this. She covers the fear involved, the role of global leaders in promoting AI literacy, and a call to action to support strategies and initiatives.
Education
Milla Surjadi in The Wall Street Journal article Colleges Race to Ready Students for the AI Workplace looks at how student demand, in part due to concerns about job readiness, is leading to revamped courses and specialized degrees at a rapid pace.
Senior Research Scientist at WGU Labs Stephanie Reeves in AI as the New Digital Divide for First-Generation Students reports on the difference between first-generation students’ awareness and usage of ChatGPT compared to their peers, finding a 4-14% gap. She points to the need for policies and the incorporation of AI into teaching.
UNESCO Bangkok and the Equitable Education Fund (EEF) of Thailand organized a webinar for the Asia-Pacific region called Artificial Intelligence for Equity in Education that covered topics such as AI literacy, the importance of teaching responsible AI use in education, and UNESCO’s Global Skills Academy and its digital skills training.
In AI Syllabi Policies – A Look at the Collection, Lance Eaton reflects on the AI course policy collection he started in January 2023, which has grown to over 140 submissions, and how it shows how many faculty recognize the importance of AI to their students’ future careers and are incorporating AI literacy into the curriculum, although some are also still banning it.
In Don’t Buy the AI Hype, Learning Expert Warns, Lauraine Langreo interviews Benjamin Riley, who argues for caution with the implementation of AI in schools, and says he defines AI literacy not as how to use the tool or write a good prompt but to be a critical thinker. He doesn’t see that technologies such as the computer have changed a lot of educational practices so thinks that AI might be similar.
AI for Education compiles a list of the 22 US states’ official guidance or policy on AI in schools with links for easy access: State AI Guidance for K12 Schools.
California is partnering with tech giant NVIDIA on an initiative that will help with worker training and faculty programs to improve AI literacy and curriculum, especially in community colleges.
The Colorado Education Initiative publishes the Colorado Roadmap for AI in K-12 Education with guidance for AI use in schools, recommending that teachers have professional development time to learn how to use AI and that states look at adopting digital literacy standards or strengthening their existing ones.
In AI Puts Additional Pressure on Math Curriculum Overhaul: ‘Moon launch’ math no longer cuts it, Tim Dasey offers a perspective on the disjunct between math curricula and relevant math skills for life, and how perhaps middle and high school math are great prospects for overhauling and including AI literacy.
José Antonio Bowen says that every college program should have a senior seminar in using AI, crafting prompts, analyzing responses, and understanding issues such as bias, hallucinations, and ethics, because students and employers are wanting these skills and experiences. (see José Antonio Bowen’s LinkedIn post)
Reed Hepler updates the College of Southern Idaho’s Canvas course on AI literacy, available under a Creative Commons license.
