In this episode of the In AI We Trust? AI Literacy series, Miriam Vogel is joined by EqualAI’s newest senior advisor, Nuala O’Connor. Nuala brings deep expertise- and great energy- to EqualAI and this podcast given her past experience as the Senior Vice President and Chief Counsel at Walmart, leading their Digital Citizenship organization, and President and CEO of the Center for Democracy & Technology, among multiple other tech-related roles.
Nuala and Miriam discuss the impact of AI on children, parents, and educators with Robbie Torney, Senior Director of AI Programs at Common Sense Media. Over the past two and a half years, Common Sense Media has played an integral role in the AI literacy space, collaborating with AI developers and companies and publishing research reports, risk assessments, parental guidance, professional development courses, and legislative advocacy in order to help people navigate the technology. Since 2003, they’ve provided similar “digital pain point” resources for everything from social media to edtech to cellphones in an effort to increase people’s digital literacy.
Torney joined Common Sense Media, after a decade of working as a teacher and school leader, because of the opportunity the organization presented him to help shape AI’s impact on schools and communities. Throughout the episode, Torney stresses the importance of AI literacy for everyone, providing advice and recommending resources for parents, educators, and policymakers. The conversation centers around a fundamental question: What does it mean to be AI literate—and how do we ensure our youngest generations are prepared?
A Definition of AI Literacy for Everyone
Torney believes that AI literacy is a set of “thinking skills” that builds upon digital literacy, which itself builds on media literacy.
“It is the specific knowledge, skills, and habits of mind that people need to use and understand artificial intelligence and be able to critically think about the opportunities, implications, limitations, and ethical considerations related to use,” he says.
While this definition applies to everyone, he notes that there are many different ways to teach the “thinking skills” and those may be context dependent.
Guidance for Parents
When it comes to advice for parents, Torney is pragmatic and acknowledges that certain uses of AI are higher risk, while others are lower risk.
Parents should learn how to determine what kinds of AI pose higher risks to their children, such as social AI companions, and then initiate non-judgmental conversations about those use cases with their children. Torney reminds parents that even if their children know more about specific platforms than they do, they still have expertise their children do not, such as experience navigating the world and making mistakes.
Guidance for Educators
Many educators are still wondering whether or not they should be using AI themselves. Torney acknowledges their skepticism, but makes his message clear: AI isn’t coming—it’s already here.
According to Common Sense Media’s research, seven in ten teens have already used at least one type of generative AI tool, and they’re using AI for both personal and educational uses, with or without teacher permission. One-third of parents who have children between the ages of zero and eight say their children are using AI for school-related learning. Crucially, the research shows that students whose teachers talk to them about AI have a more nuanced view of the technology’s usefulness, challenges, and implications.
There is an important opportunity right now to think about how AI can assist, rather than replace, teachers. Torney recommends that schools consider their goals and strategic plan when deciding how AI best fits into their institution and to remember that “successful implementation has to be customized and built around the needs of local communities.”
Guidance for Policymakers
Among Common Sense Media’s standout resources for policymakers are their AI risk assessments. Using Common Sense Media’s ethical charter, their AI Principles, these assessments evaluate the potential frequency and intensity of harms posed by AI products. They are meant to provide guidance about the types of risks children and schools may experience while using the technology. Additional Common Sense resources are available on the EqualAI website at: https://www.equalai.org/ai-literacy-resources/.
According to Torney, the findings of the AI risk assessment are helping shape Common Sense Media’s legislative work. For example, the organization rated recommendation systems in social media like Instagram as “high risk” due to their addictive design and supported bills in California and New York limiting the use of algorithmic feeds for minors.
Coming Soon to Common Sense Media
Torney offers listeners a preview of what’s to come at Common Sense Media, highlighting three resources that he’s particularly excited about. The first is a collection of resources to help school districts assess their AI readiness and take concrete actions related to AI adoption. The second and third are new AI risk assessment bundles—one on teacher assistants and the other on mental health apps.
As Torney emphasizes throughout the episode, building AI literacy is not just about technical understanding—it’s about equipping people with the critical thinking skills needed to navigate and use AI. Through AI risk assessments, professional development courses, and more, Common Sense Media is helping ensure communities can take advantage of AI’s benefits, while taking precautions to mitigate its harms.
Enjoy the full episode here:
