What Digital Literacy Looks Like in the Age of AI

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Round-Up for the Week of January 12-16, 2026

The rapid acceleration of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in the education system is creating new opportunities that could transform assessments, personalize learning, and support instruction. It also raises uncertainty and concerns about policies that would impact professional development, access and equity, data privacy, and student safety. In “Digital Literacy in the Age of AI: Analysis and Voices from the Field,” researchers from New America point to digital literacy as a foundational component of education, and a need for a comprehensive national digital literacy skills framework with measurable outcomes, and aligned systems and policies that integrate digital literacy, AI literacy, and computer science.

Feedback From the Field: AI in Education

To gain a better understanding of how AI factors into public education, New America interviewed 12 stakeholders, including community practitioners, researchers, and experts from national and international nonprofits. These stakeholders agreed that AI literacy must be integrated, equitable, and grounded in human-centered learning, and not solely driven by industry agendas, emphasizing that AI literacy is an extension of digital literacy and not a separate or competing domain.

“AI literacy is a natural extension of digital literacy. Digital literacy is incomplete if it doesn’t include AI,” said Amy Huffman, Policy Director of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA).

Even with broad agreement that AI literacy is core and falls within the digital literacy umbrella, its purpose varies depending on how AI tools are being used. Some describe it as knowing how to use AI applications to complete tasks, while others emphasize a deeper conceptual and cognitive shift AI introduces. Currently, there is no widely accepted definition of proficiency or guidance on how to assess AI-related skills. To understand what works and for whom, research needs to be at the forefront, stressed Isabelle Hau from the Stanford Accelerator for Learning, who underscored the need to invest in understanding the impact of AI on learning while frameworks and teacher training are being implemented.

Despite the growing use of AI in schools, there is a lag between responding to AI’s rapid development by industry and community readiness, whether this is hesitation or gaps in training and policy. Commercialization is also heightening concerns about trustworthiness in AI products. In some cases, frameworks and models are being introduced without addressing underlying learning goals, and emerging faster than the capacity to adopt or see a use for them.

“It’s the Wild West,” said Amina Fazlullah, Head of Tech Advocacy Policy at Common Sense Media. “There are currently no safety nets.”

Across the board, stakeholders in education voiced equity concerns. They warned that AI will deepen inequity unless implementation is intentional and grounded in community realities. A recent RAND report indicates that teachers in the lowest-poverty schools were more likely than their counterparts in higher-poverty schools to report using AI tools for planning or teaching.

“AI will be used more heavily in lower-income schools,” said Andy Rotherham, Co-Founder and Senior Partner at national nonprofit Bellwether. “It may be more efficient but less human-centered, and affluent kids will get better and richer learning.”

The current AI and digital literacy landscape is complex and fragmented. There are multiple overlapping and emerging frameworks ranging from international, national, state, and district that, when combined with competing priorities, make it challenging to develop coherent policies and practices. However, there is broad recognition that the field needs shared definitions, principles, and guidance that connect a continuum from identifying problems and strengthening foundational digital literacy to recognizing AI literacy as core, designing responsible solutions, and supporting implementation, evaluation, and continuous improvement.

What Teachers and Students Think

In spring 2025, New America hosted a roundtable of five students and five educators from diverse school districts to:

• understand the level of digital literacy among students and educators, and
• explore the curricula and resources needed for more meaningful digital learning.

Across the board, participants emphasized the importance of core digital literacy skills and expressed ongoing concerns about access, training, and the rapid rise of AI tools. Key findings include:

• Digital Literacy as a Core Competency: Students and educators agreed that digital literacy is inseparable from skills such as problem solving, critical thinking abilities, and adaptability. Skills like learning new software, evaluating online information, and navigating unfamiliar systems translate directly to real-world flexibility and independent problem solving. One recurring barrier is the assumption by educators that today’s K–12 students who were born into a digital world already possess digital competence.
• Gaps in Educator Preparation and Professional Development: Participants said that many educators themselves lack robust digital literacy skills, limiting their ability to integrate digital tools into instruction, teach digital skills effectively, and engage safely and confidently with technology. While educators reported that professional development has begun to increase, largely in response to AI’s rapid entry into classrooms, they agreed that far more training is needed before teachers feel equipped to use AI responsibly and meaningfully.
• Ongoing Barriers to Accessing Broadband and Devices: Participants emphasized that students cannot meaningfully develop digital literacy skills without reliable access to broadband internet and devices. The digital divide remains one of the biggest barriers to digital literacy development, especially for students in rural and Tribal communities where internet access is limited or nonexistent.
• Digital Literacy Gaps Undermining AI Literacy: Participants stressed that fundamental digital literacy, especially the ability to evaluate and responsibly engage with digital content, is essential for responsible AI use. While students may know how to use AI as a tool, they may not possess the digital literacy skills to evaluate its outputs, question its biases, or understand the responsible implications of its use.

How States Are Supporting Digital Literacy

New America conducted a 50-state scan and organized its findings into four domains:

• Digital Literacy Frameworks: broadly defined, encompassing initiatives that directly target digital literacy, skills, and citizenship, and are related to competencies in media, technology, and information literacy.
• AI Literacy Frameworks: dedicated AI literacy frameworks or policies, incorporated AI literacy into AI guidance documents, or embedded AI literacy concepts in English language arts, computer science, or social studies standards. AI literacy includes understanding how AI functions, recognizing benefits and risks, and using AI tools safely and effectively.
• Instructional Support: online PD platforms created, commissioned, or tailored by the state department of education. 
• Broadband Access: At least 90 percent of residential buildings have access to wired or licensed fixed wireless broadband at speeds equal to or faster than 100 Megabits per second (Mbps) upload speeds and 20 Mbps download speeds.

New America converted its findings in these four categories into a combined Digital Literacy Skills Score for each state, ranging from 1 to 12.

Approximately one-third of the states (Arizona, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Hampshire, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, and Virginia) have Digital Literacy Skills Scores of 11 or 12, demonstrating strong activity across most or all domains. States with the lowest Digital Literacy Skills Scores (Arkansas, West Virginia), of 5 or below, indicate limited AI or digital literacy frameworks and low levels of broadband access and instructional support.

Most states indicated some level of support for digital literacy frameworks and instructional support. California, Idaho, and Kansas score relatively high on digital literacy frameworks, but low to none for instructional support.

New America also examined per-pupil spending related to Digital Literacy Skills Scores. Maryland, Massachusetts, North Dakota, New Hampshire, Oregon, and South Carolina had relatively high scores (11 or 12), and high per-pupil spending. Mississippi, North Carolina, and Utah achieved high scores despite low per-pupil spending, suggesting that strategic prioritization may contribute significantly to progress in digital literacy and AI readiness.

Recommendations for Digital and AI Literacy

The rapid emergence of genAI intensified the gaps in digital literacy, uneven access to technology, and the lack of culturally relevant content and tools, and the need for community-driven ecosystems. While AI offers transformative opportunities in education for teaching, assessment, accessibility, and personalized learning, its rapid acceleration has policymakers, educators, learners, researchers, technologists, and others scrambling to respond to immediate risks such as data privacy and student safety while also building the sustainable infrastructure needed for responsible edtech innovation and resilience. Without reinforcing the importance of foundational digital literacy skills, AI risks can deepen inequities rather than alleviating them.

New America offers five recommendations to strengthen digital literacy teaching and learning:

1. Establish a comprehensive, national framework for digital literacy with AI literacy as a core component, and CS as a discipline that contributes computational concepts and practices to strengthen AI literacy. Districts, states, and communities should develop coherent frameworks that should be updated regularly, grounded in research-based models, and adaptable to local contexts.
2. Invest in sustained, high-quality educator professional development. States and districts should invest in PD platforms, AI-specific guidance, instructional coaching, and dedicated edtech leadership to ensure that educators can safely and effectively integrate age-appropriate digital literacy in the classroom.
3. Close access gaps in broadband and devices. Universal connectivity and device access remain a prerequisite for any kind of online engagement. Ensure that underserved areas such as rural, Tribal, and low-income communities receive sustained investment in broadband expansion, device programs, and technical support.
4. Center equity, safety, and human well-being in the adoption and governance of digital literacy, particularly AI literacy components. Prioritize transparency, culturally informed design, privacy protections, and safeguards against bias and harm, especially for communities disproportionately impacted by digital surveillance and algorithmic bias.
5. Invest in research and evaluation, and coherent measurement systems. States and districts should build/update systems for monitoring implementation, measuring student outcomes, and sharing promising practices across communities.

For all of New America’s findings, view the full report: “Digital Literacy in the Age of AI: Analysis and Voices from the Field.”

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