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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSource: https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/photo\/guide-and-ai-text-blocks-on-wooden-surface-30945290\/<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n At times the term AI literacy refers only to being able to create prompts, as if using AI well means creating the right prompt. However, it is much more than this. Students need to understand how AI systems work, evaluate the results they provide, recognise the consequences of using them, and have enough judgement about when to use them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In June 2026, the European Commission and the OECD presented a common AI Literacy Framework for Primary and Secondary Education, called Empowering Learners for the Age of AI. The framework, developed with worldwide experts, divides AI literacy into four areas according to how learning shall be implemented: Engage with AI, Create with AI, Manage AI, and Shape AI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These areas give a tangible basis for the use of AI in education while keeping students responsible for the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>Using AI means having knowledge of what the technology can and cannot do. The functioning of big language models is based on the probability of word sequences rather than data that has been verified. As a result, the generated information may look reasonable and be false at the same time. Such mistakes are usually referred to as hallucinations. The biased data used for training purposes may also be replicated in the outputs of the models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is also important for students to think about confidentiality issues. They should not provide personal information or sensitive data in public AI applications without evaluating the possible use of such information. It does not mean that students should refrain from using AI. They just need to know more about the tool they are going to use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>AI is a powerful yet easy tool at your disposal when dealing with time-consuming tasks in academic life as it can save you from making the final call. So, if a student needs to get some ideas about how to answer his\/her research question, he\/she can consult AI for pieces of advice, and then he\/she can explore the most viable ideas on his\/her own. Another way to use AI is to clarify a complicated notion or tidy up a disorganised paper. Also, students can use AI to carry out a summary of a large volume of text, which allows them to get an idea of whether they should read the text in full.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The role of the student does not finish at the moment of AI usage. The student still has to analyse the gathered data, identify the first-source proof of the topic, form the creative idea, and decide on how to express it. When most of the reasoning and writing have been handed over to the system, the result may sound polished while saying surprisingly little about what the student actually thinks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An output given by an AI program should be treated as material to analyse, rather than information that can be accepted as true just because it appears on the screen. If the system gives you some fact, you verify it. If it gives you some source, you find the original publication and check it. If it gives you some statistic, trace that statistic back to its original source. Special care should be applied to particularly convincing answers, as it is important to remember that confidence in wording does not mean that the information is true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The way students approach the use of AI is also important. Asking the system to explain a complicated idea using simple examples is a step towards understanding some material, while asking it to do the analysis removes the task that the student was to fulfil. Thus, managing the role of AI starts long before you write your prompt; first, you need to think whether the AI should be used in that particular stage of the task.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The fourth domain goes beyond personal utilisation. Shape AI wants students to note that AI systems are built by humans, trained on human-made content, and influenced by human decisions. The primary issue regarding the use of AI in studies is academic integrity itself. Students should be aware of the requirements related to using AI and should disclose its use when asked, particularly if AI was a major contributor to their academic work. It is essential to be accountable for the sources as well. Using a fake source is not a trivial mistake because one non-existent source may discredit even the rest of the work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are many other problems related to using AI in academia. Copyright is a concern too, because AI is trained on data created by authors, artists, scientists, and many others. Privacy is a problem because data provided to AI may go further than expected by its owner. Fairness is a crucial issue in this case, as automated systems are beginning to impact various processes like awarding scholarships and hiring people. The European Union has already started addressing some of these issues by adopting appropriate legislation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let us go back to the story of Sofia and Boris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While under a conventional assessment procedure, they can both be assessed mostly based on the papers they submit, it is the final product of their work that generative AI is good at imitating. An essay on its own has less to tell the teacher about the ways the student researched the topic and came to the conclusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Written tasks can still be meaningful, but the evaluation must now include more of the process behind the finished product. Teachers may use some means to ask a student to explain how they came to a conclusion or defend their point of view in the discussion. Students must be evaluated according to their research process, asked to prove the reliability of the sources used, or write what they think about the usage of technology in general. Also, teachers cannot do this work on their own, as they, too, need training, time, and help from the educational authorities<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat the Term AI Literacy Actually Refers To<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Engage with AI: understand before you use<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Create with AI: keep the thinking yours<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Manage AI: staying in control<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Shape AI: ethics is part of AI literacy<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The necessity for a different education regime<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>What responsible AI use looks like<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n