AI literacy in US schools
There is no single national AI literacy curriculum in the US. The Department of Labor’s AI Literacy Framework (February 2026) sets out foundational competencies as voluntary guidance, alongside Executive Order 14277 on Advancing AI Education for American Youth.
States are moving at different speeds. In 2026, Idaho, California, Illinois, Utah and North Carolina passed AI literacy laws, each covering something different. AI4K12’s Five Big Ideas remain the most widely used K-12 guidelines, with grade-band progression from K-2 to 9-12.
AILitKit takes a lesson you already teach, in any subject, and adds AI literacy activities mapped to these frameworks. Teachers use it for planning only: students do not have accounts.
Frameworks your guides map to
Every AILitKit guide maps to the core international frameworks. Regional frameworks are suggested from your country, and you choose which ones your guides use.
- Regional2020
AI4K12
AI4K12: Five Big Ideas in AI
The US national guidelines for teaching AI in K-12 education, organised around Five Big Ideas: Perception, Representation & Reasoning, Learning, Natural Interaction, and Societal Impact. Each Big Idea has grade-band progression from K-2 through 9-12.
- Regional2026
DOL AI Literacy
US DOL AI Literacy Framework
The federal AI literacy framework (February 2026) defining foundational competencies for using and evaluating AI responsibly, with a primary focus on generative AI. Five content areas, each with five sub-competencies. Voluntary guidance but signals federal funding direction.
- Core2024
UNESCO Student
UNESCO AI Competency Framework for Students
The global reference framework for student AI literacy. Defines what students should know and be able to do with AI across four domains, at three progression levels.
- Core2026
OECD AILit
OECD/EU AI Literacy Framework
Developed by the OECD and the European Union to define AI literacy for primary and secondary education. Nineteen competences across four domains, Engage with AI, Create with AI, Manage AI and Shape AI, each with Basic, Intermediate and Advanced learner expectations, underpinned by three strands of Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes. Published in its final form in 2026.
- Core2029
PISA 2029
PISA 2029 Media & AI Literacy Assessment
The first international assessment of 15-year-olds' AI and media literacy, scheduled for 2029. Tests students' ability to identify bias, evaluate credibility, understand algorithms, and take ethical action in AI-mediated environments.
Check safeguarding and data protection
Read more on the blog
20 April 2026
Every US State Is Writing Its Own AI Literacy Rules. The UK Has Almost None.
Idaho, California, Illinois, Utah, and North Carolina passed AI literacy laws in 2026. What they cover and what UK schools can learn before legislation arrives.
5 March 2026
The US DOL AI Literacy Framework: what UK and international schools can learn from it
The US DOL AI Literacy Framework is the first to name prompting as a foundational skill. What its five content areas offer UK and international schools.
26 September 2026
New York Is Restricting AI for Younger Pupils. Older Ones Get Two Lessons.
New York City's new school policy restricts student-facing generative AI through eighth grade and gives older students AI literacy lessons. Access and understanding are separate decisions.
Bring AI literacy into a lesson you already teach
Describe a lesson and get four ready-to-teach activities with coaching notes, mapped to the frameworks above.
Free account. No card required.