Opinion: AI literacy is power

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We’re reminded daily that artificial intelligence will transform our world, and for good reason. It can now drive cars, predict hurricanes, diagnose cancer, choose your outfit, optimize garbage collection routes and write as well as Shakespeare could.

And this is the worst AI will ever be.

If — as President Donald Trump insists — the world‘s nations are locked in a battle for “global AI dominance,” who do we want to decide what it looks like or feels like to live in a world powered by AI? What does it mean to “win” this fight, and does anyone really deserve to “lose”?

As someone who worked in the Biden administration to achieve safer, more secure and more trustworthy artificial intelligence, I see this moment as critical to shaping the future of AI and its impact on our lives. Trump’s recent executive order promoting AI “competency” in our schools set a modest bar but still lacks a bold vision or nuanced understanding about how AI is transforming everything from our work to our relationships. The good news is that we each have the ability to shape that future already, and our actions (or inaction) today lay the groundwork for tomorrow.

We have work to do. According to a Gallup-Telescope survey conducted in January, approximately 99% of Americans use at least one AI-enabled product or service. This is an impressive statistic tempered by the fact that nearly two-thirds surveyed didn’t realize they were using a service powered by artificial intelligence. Because AI “learns” by consuming our data, it means that AI knows us far better than we know it.

This is a significant but solvable problem, though our general lack of preparation for imminent advancements like “artificial general intelligence” or “agentic artificial intelligence” makes it urgent to gain more advanced AI literacy.

“AI literacy” is defined by the nonprofit organization Digital Promise as “the knowledge and skills that enable humans to critically understand, evaluate, and use AI systems and tools to safely and ethically participate in an increasingly digital world.” It’s a subject growing in popularity in some schools, and Trump’s executive order rightly raises its profile as a national educational priority. However, AI’s widespread implications mean we could all stand to learn more.

That’s not to say everyone now needs an advanced computer science degree to form an opinion about artificial intelligence. As journalist Meredith Broussard reminds us, “AI isn’t magic. It’s math,” meaning the technology is relatively easy to understand. Basic AI literacy can help us survive in a world powered by artificial intelligence and requires only curiosity and a small time commitment.

And yet, mere survival isn’t our ultimate goal. We all deserve to thrive in any world powered by artificial intelligence and to use AI that centers trust, well-being, self-determination and data sovereignty. These goals transcend knowledge and skills and call for more advanced AI literacy mindsets.

Realizing AI’s myriad benefits by mitigating its substantial risks became a mental model during the Biden administration for civil servants working to ensure that AI’s use in American society doesn’t leave anyone behind. We can work toward the same goal in our daily lives by understanding the perils and possibilities that exist and making more informed choices. For example, a parent whose child is using AI to enhance his learning at school must first recognize the potential harms associated with AI’s use in educational settings — including discrimination and data privacy violations — and then understand how her student’s school complies with federal laws and creates its own policies to help all students and teachers stay safe and flourish while using AI.

Improving AI literacy can also foster another mindset: shared responsibility for AI’s social, environmental and humanitarian costs. Depending on the AI model or its intended use, it’s our own words, pictures and even personal financial data that is used to “train” these tools. AI algorithms mix and remix our data in ways most tech companies can’t (or won’t) explain, and this data entanglement implicates us in each other’s lives in ways that few other technologies have before. Attempts have been made to use Ramsey County families’ data to “predict” criminal behavior among students in St. Paul Public Schools. Every time you ask ChatGPT to perform a task, increased strain could be placed on Iowa’s underground aquifers. The Claude app’s immense computing needs fuel a voracious appetite for advanced semiconductors — and for the rare earth minerals extracted under sometimes horrific labor conditions that make them possible.

If any of this evokes complicated feelings about using AI, that’s OK. Our feelings about artificial intelligence should be as complex as the algorithms it uses. Advanced AI literacy requires holding these tensions and making more informed, responsible choices that we acknowledge affect others.

Tech CEOs are selling us optimistic (and vague) visions for a future when “everyone’s lives can be better than anyone’s life is now,” but their dreams aren’t inevitable. Trump may support AI literacy in schools, but he also rescinded safety protocols put in place during the Biden administration. At the same time, companies are actively lobbying to block legislation that regulates the technology, making this a watershed moment for safe, secure and trustworthy artificial intelligence.

Of course, you can’t shape AI’s future without first knowing how it works. Start small and remain curious. Watch a video about machine learning with your child after dinner, and talk to them about how AI shows up in our lives. Learn how to identify synthetic content and test your skills afterward. Read a blog that tracks the latest advancements and explains them in plain language. At the very least, learn the difference between AI and steak sauce.

Whatever it is, start today.

Anil B. Hurkadli served as the acting deputy director for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology until January. He lives in Minneapolis.