Research topic
Report
Detailed summary
The search identified promising efforts to develop theoretical frameworks for AI literacy that account for professional roles such as librarians [1, 3, 5, 12], educators [8, 10, 14], and engineers [6], with librarianship being the most deeply explored context using sociological theories like hybrid logics [3], while significant gaps persist for roles like writing instructors and cross-disciplinary applications.
Summary of Crucial Information Key Findings on Role-Specific AI Literacy Frameworks
Librarians: Frameworks are well-developed, focusing on integrating AI into library operations, fostering critical users' AI awareness, managing complexity in information environments, and addressing ethical concerns.
- Conceptual Base: Sociological theories of professions (e.g., hybrid logics) [3] and practical use cases of AI applications from backend to user engagement [1, 5].
- Ethics and Equity: Highlighted as core components, particularly in under-resourced contexts like Zambia [13] and ASEAN [23].
- Learning Circles: Tested practical approaches to improve librarians’ self-efficacy in teaching AI knowledge [12].
Educators: Growing emphasis on co-created competency frameworks for AI literacy in teaching technical and ethical dimensions.
- Teachers: Frameworks co-designed with educators emphasize ethical use, practical applications, and proactive AI integration [10, 14].
- Self-assessment Systems: Confirm AI literacy as distinct but overlapping with digital literacy [8].
Engineers: AI competency frameworks emphasize a role-based approach for curriculum embedding technical and ethical AI concepts across courses [6].
- Core Competencies: Include technical understanding (e.g., algorithms, tools), critical evaluation (e.g., ethics, bias), and practical applications (e.g., teaching, information retrieval) [7, 15, 22].
- Ethical and Contextual Dimensions: Ethics and AI's societal impacts are widely included, though the depth of treatment varies, with librarians often foregrounding these concerns [1, 3, 19].
- Underexplored Roles: Limited frameworks specifically addressing writing instructors or non-STEM interdisciplinary roles like cultural studies [2, 22].
- Generative AI: Research lags in cohesive strategies for integrating tools like ChatGPT into AI literacy teaching across roles [21].
- Global Disparities: Few studies examine role-specific AI literacy within resource-constrained or Global South contexts beyond librarianship [13, 20].
- Sociological Theory of Professions: Librarians are conceptualized as hybrid professionals balancing technical and ethical dimensions of AI usage [3].
- Interdisciplinary Challenges: Calls exist for frameworks combining technical and socio-cultural perspectives to unify literacy efforts across diverse roles [22].
- Curriculum designs and learning tools must reflect role-specific needs, especially with rapidly evolving AI technologies [6, 10, 14].
- Efforts to generalize frameworks are problematic when they fail to integrate domain-specific practices and contexts [9, 18].
This synthesis highlights the relative maturity of librarian and educator-focused frameworks, the growing role of ethics in defining AI literacy, and substantial gaps for specific professions and interdisciplinary approaches.
Categories of papers
1. Role-Specific Frameworks for AI Literacy
- Short Description: Papers explicitly discussing frameworks or competencies tailored to specific professional roles (e.g., librarians, educators, engineers) and showing how these roles shape AI literacy understanding.
- References: [1, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 13, 25]
- Details:
- [1]: Conceptual framework for librarians, aligns AI literacy with equality, diversity, and inclusion perspectives in library operations.
- [3]: Explores AI’s impact on professional work in academic libraries using sociological theories, focusing on hybrid logics in AI adoption.
- [5]: Discusses competencies for librarians in generative AI-focused roles, including implications for specific tasks like information literacy training.
- [6]: Proposes a role-based framework for faculty in integrating AI into engineering curricula, emphasizing ethical and technical AI competencies.
- [9]: Highlights librarians’ role in teaching information literacy for AI use among African university students, focusing on generative AI tools and ethical guidance.
- [10]: Introduces co-created AI competency framework for teachers and students, with emphasis on role-specific ethical and technical skills.
- [13]: Assesses Zambian librarians’ perceptions of AI; identifies role-relevant challenges, such as resistance and budgetary barriers.
- [25]: Examines AI literacy among medical students; emphasizes its relationship with online search competencies in the healthcare context.
2. General Competency or AI Literacy Frameworks With Contextual Variations
- Short Description: General AI literacy frameworks that highlight variations in applicability across learner or professional groups, implicitly touching on professional contexts.
- References: [7, 8, 11, 18, 22]
- Details:
- [7]: Synthesizes literature to propose a competency framework with varied learning pathways for K-12, higher education, and workforce roles.
- [8]: Explores self-assessed AI literacy competencies for teachers, connecting AI and digital literacy while identifying overlaps.
- [11]: Develops a multilayer competency model to guide AI literacy implementation for diverse audiences, including educators and professionals.
- [18]: Reframes digital literacy for the AI era; suggests integrating technical, ethical, and practical AI skills into curricula across contexts.
- [22]: Proposes an interdisciplinary socio-technical framework emphasizing balance between technical and ethical dimensions across professional levels.
3. Ethics and Critical Dimensions in Role-Specific AI Literacy
- Short Description: Papers emphasizing the centrality of ethics, critical evaluation, and equity in profession-specific AI literacy.
- References: [1, 5, 9, 10, 19, 21]
- Details:
- [1]: Discusses ethical implications of AI use in library contexts, with focus on diversity and inclusion.
- [5]: Highlights ethical concerns about AI bias in librarianship and job-specific competency needs.
- [9]: Recommends ethical usage training for generative AI tools in university settings.
- [10]: Tailors an AI competency framework for teachers/students, embedding ethics as a core competency.
- [19]: Reviews frameworks for integrating AI ethics into professional communication and pedagogy, proposing institution-to-curriculum-level changes.
- [21]: Advocates for critical and ethical engagement with AI in information literacy, driven by librarians’ expertise.
4. AI Literacy for Librarianship
- Short Description: Papers specifically focused on librarians’ professional tasks, ethics, and workflows, discussing AI literacy in their roles.
- References: [1, 3, 5, 9, 12, 13, 16, 17, 21, 23]
- Details:
- [1]: Defines AI’s role in academic libraries; emphasizes barriers, drivers, and competencies for librarians.
- [3]: Focuses on hybrid professional logics shaping librarians' AI literacy needs.
- [5]: Examines how AI changes professional tasks like data management and information retrieval in libraries.
- [9]: Supports librarians as advocates for AI and digital literacy for university students.
- [12]: Analyzes Swedish librarians’ learning through an "AI learning circle," developing self-efficacy in AI applications and knowledge transfer roles.
- [13]: Surveys Zambian librarians' perceptions and challenges in implementing AI systems.
- [16]: Explores generative AI and reflects on adjusting LIS curricula to prepare librarians for AI’s ethical and technical challenges.
- [17]: Reports on a learning circle for Swedish librarians focused on AI upskilling and ethical awareness.
- [21]: Highlights librarians’ contributions to teaching AI literacy as part of information literacy frameworks.
- [23]: Assesses AI literacy proficiency gaps among LIS researchers in ASEAN settings.
5. AI Literacy for Educators (General and Domain-Specific)
- Short Description: Papers addressing AI literacy competencies or frameworks tailored to teaching professionals and educators.
- References: [6, 8, 10, 14, 19, 24]
- Details:
- [6]: Discusses engineering-specific curriculum embedding AI ethics and technical competencies.
- [8]: Aligns teacher self-assessment of AI competencies with broader digital literacy frameworks.
- [10]: Focuses on co-creating an ethical competency framework for educators and students.
- [14]: Details training methods and frameworks (e.g., SAIL) for educators to adopt generative AI in creative teaching.
- [19]: Reviews AI ethics in technical/professional communication pedagogy, advocating for curricular redesign.
- [24]: Explores teaching AI in Thailand, highlighting the need for interdisciplinary collaboration on ethical AI integration.
6. Generative AI-Specific Frameworks or Focus Areas
- Short Description: Studies incorporating generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT) into AI literacy frameworks or role-specific applications.
- References: [5, 9, 14, 16, 21]
- Details:
- [5]: Highlights the role and impact of generative AI in shaping library work competencies.
- [9]: Recommends librarian-led training for generative AI use by African students.
- [14]: Describes SAIL framework integrating generative AI in teacher training programs.
- [16]: Discusses the ripple effects of generative AI tools on LIS curricula.
- [21]: Advocates for librarian involvement in teaching ethical and critical use of generative AI tools.
7. Global and Resource-Constrained Contexts
- Short Description: Papers focusing on AI literacy development in resource-constrained or Global South contexts.
- References: [9, 13, 20, 23]
- Details:
- [9]: Examines librarians’ role in enhancing AI literacy within African universities, emphasizing resource challenges.
- [13]: Reviews AI perceptions and barriers among Zambian academic librarians, including infrastructure gaps.
- [20]: Scoping review of AI literacy in Global South higher education, emphasizing inequities and digital divides.
- [23]: Surveys LIS researchers in ASEAN countries to highlight regional gaps in AI literacy proficiency.
8. Interdisciplinary and Broader AI Literacy Frameworks
- Short Description: Frameworks emphasizing interdisciplinary or cross-domain applicability, often with socio-technical dimensions.
- References: [2, 7, 18, 22]
- Details:
- [2]: Examines AI literacy in cultural/design studies, proposing interdisciplinary curriculum changes.
- [7]: Maps AI literacy pathways across education and workforce disciplines.
- [18]: Proposes a meta-framework for digital-AI literacy convergence, emphasizing adaptability.
- [22]: Develops socio-technical curriculum addressing general and interdisciplinary AI literacy needs.
Key Insights:
- Strong research exists for librarians and teachers in AI literacy, but gaps remain for roles like writing instructors and non-STEM educators.
- Ethical and generative AI challenges are rapidly shaping competency frameworks, with limited focus on interdisciplinary integration outside STEM fields.
- Global South and resource-constrained contexts highlight inequities in access, requiring more inclusive AI literacy designs.
Timeline and citation network
Foundational Work on AI Literacy (2020-2022):
- [15] (2020) defined AI literacy comprehensively, synthesizing interdisciplinary competencies and establishing a conceptual foundation for designing learner-centered AI tools. This work has heavily influenced subsequent research.
- [1] and [3] (2022) applied AI literacy frameworks to librarianship, using sociological theories (e.g., hybrid logics) to contextualize AI's impact on professional roles like information literacy trainers and data managers. These early works highlighted ethical and diversity concerns.
- [11] (2021) proposed a general competency model for AI literacy, emphasizing pragmatic, multilevel skill-building for various professional and educational groups.
Expansion of Contextual and Role-Based Applications (2023–2024):
- [12], [9], and [5] extended AI literacy frameworks to librarians in global and resource-constrained contexts, analyzing unique competency demands and implementation challenges (e.g., funding and resistance to change in Zambia).
- Context-specific studies, such as [6] (engineering) and [8] (teachers), adapted role-based competency frameworks, incorporating discipline-derived technical and ethical challenges.
Integration of Generative AI and Emerging Trends (2024–2025):
- Generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT) began reshaping the discourse, with studies like [21] and [16] urging the integration of generative AI into AI literacy curricula for librarians and educators.
- [14] and [10] adopted co-created frameworks for teacher and student AI competencies, emphasizing ethics and proactive use of generative tools.
- Broader reinterpretations of traditional literacy frameworks for the modern "AI Era" ([18], 2025) underscored adaptability and continuous learning.
Clusters of Research Groups or Key Individuals:
Andrew M. Cox and Collaborators:
- Significant contributor to librarian-centric AI literacy research:
- [1], [3], and [5] explored AI’s implications for library operations, proposing sociological frameworks (e.g., hybrid logics) to contextualize librarianship as an evolving profession integrating AI literacy.
- Total citations reflect this group’s foundational influence.
- Significant contributor to librarian-centric AI literacy research:
Farhana Faruqe's Competency Framework Development:
- In [11], Faruqe laid groundwork for competency-based AI literacy models, blending conceptual frameworks with scalable skills for learners at varying proficiency levels. Influences studies like [2] and [6].
Studies Drawing from [15]:
- The highly cited conceptual foundation [15] shaped a wide array of subsequent works (e.g., mapping competencies in [8], curriculum analyses in [14] and [18], and medical education in [25]). It positioned AI literacy as interdisciplinary, user-centered, and grounded in critical ethical engagement.
Global and Interdisciplinary Trends:
- Researchers like [9] (Africa-focused) and [20] (Global South) have addressed global inequities in the development of AI literacy, emphasizing cultural and equity-driven adaptations.
- [22] provides an interdisciplinary, socio-technical framework for "AI Literacy for All," bridging technical and ethical dimensions.
Key Takeaways:
- Early Expansion (2020-2022): Foundational theories ([15], [1], [3], [11]) established AI literacy as a field. Librarianship emerged early as a leading context for role-based applications.
- Role-Based Specialization (Post-2023): Precision in adapting AI literacy frameworks to professional roles grew, with engineering ([6]), education ([8]), and librarianship ([12], [9]) developing distinct models.
- Generative AI Disruption (Post-2024): Studies aligned with generative AI proliferation ([10], [14], [21]), creating new demands for ethics, curriculum redesign, and interdisciplinary adaptation.
These developments underscore a gradual shift from general frameworks to highly contextualized, role-specific, and generative AI-inclusive approaches.