Being 'AI literate' means you understand what AI tools can do, how they work, and how to use them responsibly.
It doesn't mean you need to be a computer programmer. It means you can:
Some of the skills you will need in your learning and study include:
Just like learning how to research or cite sources, learning how to work with AI is now part of being a well-prepared student.
Most AI tools work by recognizing patterns in huge amounts of data.
For example:
These tools don't understand your assignment the way a human does. They can give helpful suggestions or create content--but they don't know if it's correct, fair, or ethical.
Here are some AI tools you might already use (or hear about in class):
Tool Type | Examples | What It Does |
---|---|---|
Grammar & Spelling Checkers | Grammarly, Microsoft Editor, Google Docs suggestions | Checks and fixes writing errors |
Writing Assistants | ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot | Generates text based on prompts |
Paraphrasing & Summarizing Tools | Quillbot, ChatGPT, Wordtune | Rewrites or summarizes existing text |
AI Image Generators | DALL-E, Midjourney, Adobe Firefly | Creates images based on text prompts |
Search & Research Helpers | Perplexity, AI search tools in Bing or Google | Provides quick information and sources (sometimes unreliable) |
Each tool has its own strength and risks. Knowing how to use them well is part of being AI literate.
NOTE: AI detectors are far from perfect and have very high false positive and false negative rates. They may incorrectly flag legitimate student work as having been written by AI or fail to detect work that was generated by AI. It is particularly prone to having false positives for text written by people that aren't writing in their first language. Relying on AI detectors without human judgement can lead to unfair assessments.
Being AI Literate does not mean you need to understand the advanced mechanics of AI. It means that you are actively learning about the technologies involved and that you critically approach any texts you read that concern AI, especially news articles.
Here is a tool that you can use when reading about AI applications to help consider the legitimacy of the technology.
Adapted from "The ROBOT Test" by S. Hervieux & A. Wheatley via The LibrAIry, which is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
AI tools do best when you give them clear, specific instructions. This is called writing a prompt.
Example of a weak prompt:
Write an essay about climate change.
Example of a strong prompt:
Help me brainstorm three specific examples of how climate change is affecting coastal cities. Keep the explanation simple and under 100 words.
The clearer your prompt, the more helpful the AI's response will be.
See our page on Writing Better Prompts for more tips and examples.