Technologies are part of human storytelling, and AI is no exception. The issue is that AI touches every aspect of our lives. Our smartphones can’t work without machine learning algorithms. Scientists use it as an enabler for their discoveries, and it is no surprise that in 2024, two Nobel Prizes were awarded to researchers and practitioners working in AI. Some entrepreneurs elevate AI into the pantheon of the Gods. Just think Anthony Levandowski and his AI Church. Global media reports about it daily, mainly making outrageous claims about its capabilities or risks.
In this context, navigating the ocean of noise about AI is essential. People need clarity to participate in an informed dialogue. For this reason, I dedicate my entire time to growing a little AI Literacy for All plant, hoping it will transform into a global movement. Our children and the future of our economies deserve it.
Components of AI Literacy include five major themes.
The first is indeed about content development and smart storytelling.
One can’t force knowledge on people. This is why teaching AI through engaging adventures is central to facilitating parental involvement in AI Literacy. I develop content about AI, robotics, and quantum technologies suitable for families. While young children simply follow a dialogue about whether a cat can be considered intelligent and what a quantum chipset is, parents read the “Science behind” section with deep dives into real-world R&D and applications.
Translating AI from difficult to easy to understand is my mission, and Romy&Roby are two characters helping me to engage with young and old. In the end, who doesn’t appreciate a story about a cute cat and a nerdy robot? Statistics are in my favour: 36 percent of web traffic is cat-related.
My podcast, “AI Snacks with Romy and Roby,” is part of the “Science Behind” section. Twice a month, I interview leading minds in AI and robotics and ask them how they got into AI and whether they could explain their work in plain language. I have just launched an Instagram channel (@romyandroby), and I seek the help of my furry Muse, a British Short Hair or #TheRealRomy, to share my journey and learning in reels and posts.
I started combining AI education and storytelling to increase parental involvement. It is indeed crucial for reinforcing AI literacy at home. Community workshops and resources are recommended to help parents, and I am grateful for any contacts from those who managed to establish best practices.
The second component is engaging in partnerships with Universities and companies on the cutting edge of AI. I am developing a 17-hour AI Literacy course, which I test with bachelor’s and master’s students in Berlin, and which AI Edutainment will produce in November/December for everyone subscribed to my company’s newsletter. What does the most-studied worm on the planet – Nematode C – have in common with one of the first commercial robots, Rumba? Why do Large Language Models hallucinate about things that are obvious to an average human, but still produce lists of R&D sources about pretty much anything in a few seconds? Will OpenAI return money to investors? Does AI understand us? What can we learn from non-human mammals to improve computer vision and sound recognition? What questions should any executive ask when engaging with an AI vendor? There are down-to-earth answers to all these questions, and the more partners among Universities, organisations like Girls In Quantum, and AI makers I can sign, the better the results will be.
The third component is actively engaging in a dialogue with the public sector, especially regarding education. LinkedIn predicts that by 2030, 70 percent of skills used in most jobs will change, requiring knowledge of AI technologies. China is taking a decisive lead by making AI education mandatory for all schoolchildren starting September 2025, beginning as early as age six. All school teachers must undergo at least three days of training on AI and robotics to answer critical questions. “Google’s Gemini produced historically inaccurate images of the US Founding Fathers, who all of a sudden appeared as Black, Native American, or Asian individuals. How could something like this happen?” I was asked this very question while visiting sixth-grade students of the UWC Maastricht – I was given a book to read there. A simple question for someone in AI from 1989, a difficult one if you don’t understand the basics. In a few weeks, I will attend a conference dedicated to the future of the public sector, organised by one of the finest Non-Profits, the Salzburg Global Seminar. I am already looking forward to discussions around AI Education policies across geographies.
While discussing AI education, I can’t forget two areas of knowledge that have existed since Antiquity. I encourage schools and Universities in any country to compulsorily teach students of all age groups and curriculum choices two subjects – Creative Writing and Applied Mathematics.
The first stimulates critical thinking and encourages students to separate original ideas from cheap prompting. William Faulkner reportedly said something similar: “I don’t know what I think until I read what I said,” or “I never know what I think about something until I read what I’ve written. Stephen King also expressed a similar sentiment in 2005: “I write to find out what I think.” I could go on to find historical evidence on the value of writing, but the point is clear. Any professional can benefit from the clarity of thoughts evolving through serious training in writing skills. I can’t applaud enough Jennifer A. Doudna, not just for winning the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry but for popularizing her research while writing “A Crack in Creation” or David Deutsch’s work in quantum physics that he put on display for everyone who cares in “The Fabric of Reality” and “The Beginning of Infinity.”
Imagine if all luminaries on this planet—engineers, medical doctors, painters, and mathematicians—possessed the gift of explaining what they do in plain language! We might have more girls, boys, and representatives of minorities attracted to science.
Teaching Applied Mathematics to everyone isn’t just about popularising numerical skills. It is about reducing fears that something as abstract as equations might be fun and valuable. Reading statistics is great in every profession, enabling a better understanding of fundamental technologies powering AI. When discussing Applied Mathematics, I don’t invite the world to reinvent the wheel. The IB Diploma Programme has been offering a course on “Mathematics: Applications and Interpretations” (MAI) for quite some time now, greatly benefiting those students who seek future degrees in medicine, psychology, or even the arts.
Both subjects – Creative Writing and Applied Mathematics – can’t be communicated and taught without great professionals improving the content, exchanging best practices, and encouraging transparency over what works and what requires adjustments. If there are nonprofit causes such as the Zombie Squad, hosting disaster relief fundraisers, and volunteering time at emergency response agencies, there is a place for initiatives focused on how we popularise and democratise the teaching of skills, building the backbone of human critical thinking!
The fourth component is unmistakably about bottom-up leadership from all corners of society. Leadership can’t be hoped for in the age of AI and the ageing population across Western societies. Every town mayor, community advocate, and entrepreneur can contribute two or three cents to initiate change. Leadership has nothing to do with technology and everything to do with the power of being human. In this context, in early 2023, I started interviewing corporate and public service leaders, artists and composers, human rights activists, and entrepreneurs about the ‘how’ of what they do. The content of their business or initiative wasn’t of primary importance. Still, their vision, ability to pull through challenges, and ability to foster resilience motivated me to develop the “Leading Through Disruption” newsletter on LinkedIn. From July this year, I will summarise everything I learned about leadership and resilience in a new book. Please contact me if you want to be at this venture’s forefront. I will include you in a group for pre-reads and free webinars starting in October 2025.
The fifth component is about developing a vision on how humans and AIs might interact once AI is omnipresent and more sophisticated.
A while ago, I started talking about portrayals of AI and robotics in Science Fiction. Science fiction stimulates imagination, allowing people, especially students and non-technical audiences, to engage with AI concepts beyond technical details like code and algorithms. This broader awareness encourages opening up minds about the consequences of AI in society rather than just memorising facts.
Science fiction constantly probes philosophical questions about what it means to be human in an AI-augmented world. It can significantly help us anticipate and navigate the psychological and cultural shifts AI might bring. Remember “Clara and the Sun” and the dilemma of what might constitute the ultimate use case for a robot – replacing a sick child? Remember Data from Star Trek and his attempts to humanise himself? Those are edutainment attempts, not classical entertainment. In this context, I will dedicate part of my time in 2026 to recording several podcast episodes on AI in books and movies.
As you see, AI Literacy isn’t just a one-way street. It is a whole ecosystem of topics and ideas open for new businesses to form and traditional companies to engage and thrive in. AI and Robotics are there to stay, and we can’t outsource building a future to a few technology giants from the US and China.
While closing this article, let me allow one observation. I would like the AI Literacy movement to have female figures in the front row. Female voices matter most when it comes to education and making the first choices of what children read, listen to, and spend their time on. Learn about AI as much as you can. Ask questions and find groups to build a societal dialogue on how to benefit from it. Be thoughtful of AI imperfections. Its capabilities don’t even cover the intelligence level of a cat, even if it might confuse you with its linguistic fluency.