Learning from Student Perspectives on AI: Considerations for AI Literacy Instruction

As generative AI tools have rapidly developed and been made publicly available over the past two years, a growing body of literature is exploring how to define and teach AI literacy, as well as how students view and use generative AI. This study builds on this work and explores students’ use, perception, and evaluation of generative AI tools via focus groups with undergraduates from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. The data was coded and analyzed thematically, and the findings extend our understanding of student perspectives on generative AI. The results are assessed against a definition of AI literacy, and suggestions for future directions in library instruction on critical AI literacy are offered.