# AI Literacy in K-12 and Higher Education in the Wake of Generative AI: An Integrative Review

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.00079 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.00079/

## Key facts

- Cited by 4 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 11 of its 158 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 27 Feb 2025.

## Builds on (most cited first, 11 of 11)

- [The Robots are Here: Navigating the Generative AI Revolution in Computing Education](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.00658/) (2023)
- [Conversing with Copilot: Exploring Prompt Engineering for Solving CS1 Problems Using Natural Language](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2210.15157/) (2022)
- [Generative AI for Programming Education: Benchmarking ChatGPT, GPT-4, and Human Tutors](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.17156/) (2023)
- [Prompt Problems: A New Programming Exercise for the Generative AI Era](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.05943/) (2023)
- [ChatGPT in the Classroom: An Analysis of Its Strengths and Weaknesses for Solving Undergraduate Computer Science Questions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.14993/) (2023)
- [Insights from Social Shaping Theory: The Appropriation of Large Language Models in an Undergraduate Programming Course](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.06451/) (2024)
- [Untangling Critical Interaction with AI in Students Written Assessment](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.06955/) (2024)
- [Teaching Tech to Talk: K-12 Conversational Artificial Intelligence Literacy Curriculum and Development Tools](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2009.05653/) (2020)
- [Children's Overtrust and Shifting Perspectives of Generative AI](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.14511/) (2024)
- [Build Your Own Robot Friend: An Open-Source Learning Module for Accessible and Engaging AI Education](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.01647/) (2024)
- [Assistant, Parrot, or Colonizing Loudspeaker? ChatGPT Metaphors for Developing Critical AI Literacies](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.08711/) (2024)

## Built on by (most cited first, 4 of 4)

- [What is Safety? Corporate Discourse, Power, and the Politics of Generative AI Safety](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.06981/) (2026)
- [Framing, Judging, Steering: An Assessable Competency Model for Teach-ing Students to Reason With Generative AI](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.05983/) (2026)
- [A Scaffolded GenAI Lab in Early Undergraduate CS: A Mixed-Methods, Multi-Course Evaluation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.00100/) (2025)
- [Navigating the New Landscape: A Conceptual Model for Project-Based Assessment (PBA) in the Age of GenAI](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2508.11709/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Even though AI literacy has emerged as a prominent education topic in the wake of generative AI, its definition remains vague. There is little consensus among researchers and practitioners on how to discuss and design AI literacy interventions. The term has been used to describe both learning activities that train undergraduate students to use ChatGPT effectively and having kindergarten children interact with social robots. This paper applies an integrative review method to examine empirical and theoretical AI literacy studies published since 2020. In synthesizing the 124 reviewed studies, three ways to conceptualize literacy-functional, critical, and indirectly beneficial-and three perspectives on AI-technical detail, tool, and sociocultural-were identified, forming a framework that reflects the spectrum of how AI literacy is approached in practice. The framework highlights the need for more specialized terms within AI literacy discourse and indicates research gaps in certain AI literacy objectives.