A multinational assessment of AI literacy among university students in Germany, the UK, and the US

Abstract

AI literacy is one of the key competencies that university students – future professionals and citizens – need for their lives and careers in an AI-dominated world. Cross-national research on AI literacy can generate critical insights into trends and gaps needed to improve AI education. In this study, we focus on Germany, the UK, and the US given their leadership in AI adoption, innovation, and proactive engagement in AI policy and education. We assessed the AI literacy of 1,465 students across these three countries using a knowledge test previously validated in Germany. We additionally measure AI self-efficacy, interest in AI, attitudes towards AI, AI use, and students' prior learning experiences. Our analysis based on item response theory demonstrates that the AI literacy test remains effective in measuring AI literacy across different languages and countries. Our findings indicate that the majority of students have a foundational level of AI literacy, as well as relatively high levels of interest and positive attitudes related to AI. Students in Germany tend to have a higher level of AI literacy compared to their peers in the UK and US, whereas students in the UK tend to have more negative attitudes towards AI, and US students have higher AI self-efficacy. Based on these results, we offer recommendations for educators on how to take into account differences in characteristics of students such as attitudes towards AI and prior experiences to create effective learning opportunities. By validating an existing AI literacy test instrument across different countries and languages, we provide an instrument and data which can orient future research and AI literacy assessment.