AI Literacy Starts with Values: A Guide for Educators and Families
Estimated read time: ~4-5 min
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how to introduce AI literacy to kids in a meaningful way. In my daily life as a translational data scientist, I have found that defining AI literacy is surprisingly personal. It is shaped as much by values as it is by scientific understanding.
During my most recent discussions with clinicians, fellow scientists and educational thought leaders about what is crucial for understanding and using AI tools, several questions kept reappearing:
· What is responsible use of AI in this setting?
· How do we ensure transparency and trust?
· Do potential benefits of using AI outweigh any potential costs or downsides?
We may not have the perfect answers to all of these questions yet, but what stands out to me is this: AI literacy is equal parts technical understanding and human values. AI literacy means understanding what an AI tool is, and understanding the human intentions guiding its design and use.
This is a lot to take in for anyone – especially a young mind! But luckily, we can learn from some of the experts who have begun to share free resources and tools to help families and classrooms create their own visions of AI literacy. I’ve spent the last few months researching, reading, listening to webinars, visiting museums, and even enrolling in a class on AI literacy to create new content to make these ideas easier for everyone to access.
Here are my top recommendations to get started:
Teaching AI with ethics in mind
· Google has introduced a guide to AI for 2nd to 8th graders. This guide is designed as a PDF workbook. It is a simple, beautifully designed framework for a variety of lessons and is easy to use.
· The “we are teachers” blog is an excellent resource for gaining insight directly from educational thought leaders. This blog post on AI literacy is really helpful for those wanting to dig a bit deeper on responsible use of AI, using a variety of references. The article is packed with links to additional activities, educational information, lesson plans and more.
Investigate the reasons “why”
Discussing the potential power and the risks of using AI can be challenging to approach for young minds. Consider beginning with tools that frame values and ethics through the lens of digital citizenship.
One of the most effective resources I’ve found for introducing discussions about AI’s societal impacts is UNESCO's AI competency framework. The content, available in both student and teacher formats, encourages critical reflection on AI’s ethical design and role in society.
I hope these tools help you shape your own approach to AI literacy. More ideas and content are coming soon—including a sneak peak at my next book, where I’ll continue using storytelling to help kids grow into thoughtful digital citizens.
Embarcadero murals by artist Darnel Tasker capture the feeling of human-centered AI beautifully.
🌱 Developmental Skills Explored:
· Critical thinking
· Computational thinking
· Innovation
· Ethics and values
· AI literacy
· Global citizenship
Article text: written by LB
LLM usage: for text style revisions, layout and title suggestions
Images: Canva and photos – LB
Blog banner illustration: computer generated, DALLE
