As generative AI adoption grows increasingly widespread in higher education, colleges and universities are faced with the pressing need to ensure this technology is integrated responsibly within their academic missions. Libraries and centers for teaching and learning are often at the forefront, promoting AI literacy among students and faculty. But defining what it means to be AI literate and coordinating efforts to formally integrate AI literacy into the curriculum are complex tasks.

Across the past year, Ithaka S+R has worked with 58 institutions through our cohort projects to define and implement AI literacy. Following these successful engagements, we are launching an additional AI literacy cohort this summer, which will run on an accelerated timeline. Through the project, participants will collectively address two fundamental questions: What exactly is AI literacy? How can libraries, centers for teaching and learning, and other university units better support AI literacy for students and faculty?

Participating institutions will evaluate existing AI and information literacy frameworks through virtual workshops, collect qualitative data from instructors and students at their institution to understand their changing information practices and needs, and participate in a design jam to generate ideas on how libraries and other units can better integrate and promote AI literacy. The project will kick off in July and conclude at the end of 2026.

If you are interested in joining the cohort, please reach out to Claire Baytas (claire.baytas@ithaka.org). You can find additional information about this cohort, including the project prospectus, on our website.

On May 5, 2026, we hosted an informational webinar sharing more details about this project. The recording can be viewed below.