AI literacy for K–12 education: an international Delphi study

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is currently reshaping education around the world, but it is largely unclear what students need to learn about AI. The aim of this Delphi study is to identify consensus on central components of AI literacy in K–12 education by synthesizing views of diverse, interdisciplinary and international expert stakeholders. Through an online survey in three rounds, an international expert panel (n = 33, 27, 25) identified key components of AI literacy in K–12 education, particularly in relation to understanding and critically evaluating the role of AI in everyday life, recognizing and using AI in daily life, and describing and developing AI solutions to real-world problems. After the three Delphi rounds, consensus was obtained for eight out of 23 statements about AI literacy. These statements could be categorized under two main themes, foundational AI knowledge and critical perspectives, which partly include both societal and ethical components. The findings align with other recent AI literacy frameworks, but at the same time, our model outlines more limited, and therefore potentially more realistic and achievable, components that K–12 instructors can teach students, given adequate guidance, time, and professional development. The findings also corroborate recent research about critical thinking as something requiring content knowledge.