To help libraries and centers for teaching and learning adapt their expertise in data, digital, and information literacy to AI literacy, we launched the Integrating AI Literacy into the Curricula cohort project.

We held the kickoff meeting in April, welcoming participants from all 45 institutions involved in the project. Participants shared their observations and experiences with current AI literacy initiatives at their institutions, including challenges and successes. Several interesting themes emerged from these discussions.

When it comes to AI literacy, there isn’t a uniform landscape and divides are ubiquitous:

  • Some institutions have already started offering credential programs while others have no formal workshops or training.
  • There is disciplinary variation in AI uptake. Disciplines such as business and science are eager to incorporate AI, while other disciplines, particularly in the humanities, are more hesitant.
  • Younger faculty are more open to AI while older faculty are more skeptical.
  • Departments are taking different approaches to defining AI literacy and are developing separate policies, resulting in a lack of standardization at the institutional level.
  • Schools and colleges vary as to how much they would like to integrate AI into curricula.

Within each of these divides are even more subdivides. For example, in the more AI-ready disciplines, introductory-level courses usually discourage AI use while advanced-level courses tend to encourage it.

AI literacy efforts on campus are siloed:

  • Few institutions have managed to implement campus-wide initiatives.
  • Vendors are pushing campus-wide adoption with access to AI tools way ahead of literacy development.
  • Collaborations between campus offices are ongoing but still small scale. Some libraries collaborate with teaching and learning centers to write libguides while other libraries collaborate with IT to hold workshops on the pros and cons of using certain AI tools.

Faculty AI development programs are more prevalent than student AI programs:

  • In some institutions, students are not allowed to use AI but instructors can.
  • When students are allowed to use AI, the decision is often in the hands of faculty, and there are no standardized best practices.

Overall, the landscape of AI literacy is rapidly growing, and opinions and practices are mixed.

Ithaka S+R is organizing an additional cohort of this project that will launch in the fall. Several spots are still available. If you’re interested in participating, please contact Dylan Ruediger (dylan.ruediger@ithaka.org).