What is AI literacy and why is it important?
Let’s start with number two: The reason AI literacy is important is because AI is an emerging, immersive technology.
First, we had actual literacy, “Literacy 1.0”, which distinguished the power elite of the first millennium (and early second millennium) from the general populace. Literacy was power! And then, quite recently in the grand scheme of things, we had computer literacy – the “haves” knowing how to use, say, Microsoft Excel.
Now, suddenly, there is a need for AI literacy. It’s the same kind of power disparity that arises in any literacy movement, where pioneers gain outsized power and everyone else gets left behind to some degree.
So what is AI literacy? It’s a good question because, unlike “literacy 1.0,” the answer is quite complicated.
The first types of literacy tests simply asked, “Can you read?” or “How well can you read?” There are roughly 50 symbols on a page. This is measurable, and we measure it on every child, everywhere across the country.
Two children are sharing a book: they lie on their stomachs, rest their heads on their hands, and read. … [+]
On the other hand, AI literacy is…
I came across this definition by Matt Crabtree at Data Camp, where he goes into detail about AI literacy, including:
“It is important to look critically at these technologies, understand their context and question their design and implementation. It is also important to be able to identify the benefits and challenges of AI and make informed decisions about its use.”
So essentially, it’s more about using technology to manipulate reality than it is about memorizing the spelling of words or pronouncing their sounds. That’s a whole other story.
Below is an excerpt from Chis McKay’s recent presentation at the IIA: The presentation began with a call to action and a cautionary example of siloed knowledge.
“I believe the most important thing we can do as individuals, as businesses, and as a society is to invest in AI literacy,” McKay said. “History is filled with examples where ignorance led to downfall. Indeed, over the last few years that we’ve experienced, during the COVID pandemic, we’ve seen how a lack of health literacy has impacted many of our communities. We must not make the same mistakes again.”
Financial graphs on technology abstract background represent financial crisis, monetary collapse.
He then talked about a key moment in recent AI adoption that I think says a lot about what’s going on.
“I looked at my social feeds and it was crazy. Some were touting AI as promising a new technological utopia, others were saying it would lead to the end of the world, and still others were saying it’s just a passing fad. There were loud voices on both sides – P Doom 99.99%. But I also looked at our legislators and leaders and saw people who were in a situation that was out of control. I looked at educators and teachers and I was really worried that they were at risk of being left behind. I also looked at other business owners and saw that many were asking the same questions that I was.”
So eventually, McKay created imaginator.com, a platform for exploring AI in more detail.
“I come to you with a unique perspective,” he said. “Not only do I cover the AI ​​space, I have a thorough understanding of where the technology is and where it’s going. I also work with companies that are applying AI to business and consumer products. What is AI literacy? AI literacy is the ability to understand, evaluate, and be able to make informed decisions about AI.”
He made an important distinction:
“I’m not saying you need to get a PhD in this field. You don’t need to know the latest rack optimization techniques, but you do need to know how to use them.”
AI literacy, he suggested, could have some pretty significant societal benefits, especially if it were widely applied.
“AI literacy allows us to ask better questions,” he said. “AI literacy not only allows us to have deeper conversations, but also allows us to bring more voices into the conversation. AI needs to be decided and debated with as many voices as possible, and it’s important to allow more people to participate in the discussion. But most importantly, AI will allow us to develop effective oversight, better regulation and governance, and ultimately, we will be able to leverage this technology to improve our everyday lives.”
He related all of this to business, talked about strategy, and recommended a book called “Life 3.0” by Max Tegmark, which I’ve written about in my own work, so this was a good reference.
A couple of other points he makes are “application is key” and “continuous learning is non-negotiable.” I like these.
As we dive deeper into the field of AI, questions to ask ourselves are: How can we foster this new kind of literacy? What programs and interventions would be effective?
