Comparing Digital, Data, and AI Literacy: A Narrative Review

Abstract

This article explores the growing need to understand what skills are required to navigate rapid technological change driven by digitalisation, datafication, and AI – both within organisations and education, and in citizens’ everyday lives. Through a narrative literature review of digital, data, and AI literacy, we analyse their defining components, synthesising these approaches into an integrated framework. Our findings position digital literacy as a foundational concept essential for understanding and engaging with both data and AI literacy. While digital literacy equips individuals with basic technological skills, data literacy and AI literacy require more specialised knowledge. Data literacy involves using data for decision-making and problem-solving, whereas AI literacy extends to understanding AI systems, their functions, and their social, ethical, and legal implications. The article identifies three interrelated dimensions across all literacies: technical, critical, and communicative-cognitive. While technical and critical dimensions are well-documented, the communicative-cognitive dimension, essential for interacting with and cognitively relating to technological resources, remains less explored. We argue that educational programs must prioritise technical, critical thinking, and communicative-cognitive skills to cultivate comprehensive digital, data, and AI literacy. Finally, we raise critical questions about how public sector officials practise these literacies and how they can be integrated into education and training across diverse organisations.