Video: so-called "AI literacy"

Hi from somewhere east of these places. Instead of a regular post this week, I made a video. It’s a close look at the concept of "AI literacy" - how most people define it vs. how I define it; why it matters; why we’re in a crucial moment for it; and how educators should approach politics here.

I mostly ad-libbed, and I’m not sure if I made my points as forcefully as I could. As it is, they represent many years of reading, writing, coding, and teaching. Mostly as a professor, but also as someone who’s written about the science and politics of automation for general-audience magazines.

As I say at the beginning, I’m still new to making videos. Hopefully my discomfort isn’t too obvious, or if it is that it’s not too distracting. I’m doing my best! (Why am I apologizing so much?)

One more thing before the summary: I am running another sale on Elf Theory. Running discounts so often feels scammy, but it’s just because Substack’s lowest tier is $5/month. Here’s where you can subscribe for $2/month forever, which is where I’d set it permanently if I could. It ends on June 21st - I’m calling it “the solstice special.”

I know the economy is terrible, and I know online content doesn’t feel as real as other things you could pay for. But Elf Theory takes a lot of time and energy, and I have to try to make money from it. Big thanks to everyone who’s already paid, and for what it’s worth, if you can’t afford it and want access to anything paywalled, email me: emma.stamm@gmail.com. I only ask that you let me know how you found me and why you’re interested in that particular piece.

Summary

0:00-1:30: Introduction — on whiteboards, curtains, and cameras.

1:30-6:16: What “AI literacy” typically means; what I mean by it; and why it’s so important — especially for anti-AI activists.

6:17-14:55: The AI literacy window — why this is especially urgent right now.

14:56-18:19: Academia and the private sector — why both fail at AI education. Note that I briefly refer to “Para-academic techno-philosophy,” a post I wrote back in March.

18:20-24:35: Political positioning — why AI educators shouldn’t take a pro- or anti- stance, at least not without a lot of dialogue with their students. (Yes, I left the most controversial bit to the end.)

Since this was improvised, I had no idea it would come out to 25 minutes. Sorry it's so long! (I am apologizing again!)

I’ll wrap this up with some unrelated but very exciting news: Robert Fripp is now on Substack. The man, the myth, the rock’n’roll legend. Self-described as “still warm to the touch” at 80. We are not worthy. This track is a favorite. Thanks as always for tuning in.