AI Literacy: A Rebranded Imperative, Experts Say Digital & Media Skills Remain Core
WASHINGTON D.C. – The surge in attention surrounding “AI literacy” isn’t a revolution in education, but rather a critical refocusing of existing digital and media literacy efforts, according to educators and experts. While artificial intelligence presents novel challenges, the fundamental skills needed to navigate its impact - critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and online safety – are those that should have been central to education all along.
The rapid advancement of AI tools, from image generators to sophisticated chatbots, has highlighted vulnerabilities previously existing in the digital landscape, but now amplified. Concerns range from the malicious use of AI to create non-consensual intimate imagery (“deepnudes”) and perpetrate sextortion schemes, to the spread of misinformation and the potential for harmful interactions with AI companions.
“AI has simply upped the stakes,” notes the analysis, pointing to the proliferation of AI-generated content and synthetic personas online. “The fundamentals of online safety haven’t changed: keeping alert to scams, protecting personal data, avoiding harmful interactions, thinking before sharing, and understanding the permanence of one’s online actions.”
However, experts emphasize that the core defenses against these threats are not new. Teaching empathy, respect, kindness, and duty – the cornerstones of digital citizenship – remain paramount in curbing cyberbullying, including its AI-enhanced forms.
Privacy education, long a staple of digital literacy curricula, is also directly applicable to AI. Students already trained to question data collection practices by social media platforms are better equipped to critically assess the motives behind AI systems.
A crucial component of navigating the AI landscape is visual literacy. The ability to analyze images and videos for authenticity, a skill already central to media literacy, is now a “frontline defense” against AI-generated manipulation designed to persuade, deceive, or evoke emotion.
Beyond these core skills, the analysis stresses the importance of addressing topics like copyright, bias, equity, and emotional well-being - all integral to a comprehensive digital education.
Recent incidents underscore the urgency of this approach. A Stanford University study revealed risks associated with teen interactions with AI chatbots, while a CNN report highlighted the spread of AI-generated misinformation. Forbes reported a staggering number of teens personally know someone targeted by deepfake nudes.
“The sudden spotlight on AI literacy may feel new and urgent, but it really shouldn’t,” the analysis concludes. “It simply amplifies the urgency of teaching what we should have been teaching all along-how to think critically, act ethically and safely, and participate responsibly in a digital world, with an added layer of understanding how AI systems work.”
The call to action is clear: investing in robust digital and media literacy programs, rather than treating AI literacy as a separate entity, is essential to prepare young peopel for the challenges and opportunities of an increasingly AI-driven world. Waiting for the next technological advancement to trigger a similar response, experts warn, is a risk society can no longer afford.
