Evaluate the effectiveness of existing AI literacy education for young adults

Evaluate how well existing AI literacy education equips young adults to navigate conversational AI in personal and higher-stakes contexts, including mental health and well-being support.

Background

The paper notes that AI literacy research has largely focused on K–12 and higher-education settings, while young adults encounter AI literacy education unevenly and may use conversational AI in personal, relational, and emotionally consequential situations outside academic or professional contexts.

The unresolved problem is whether existing AI literacy frameworks and educational programs adequately prepare young adults for these contexts, particularly when conversational AI is used for mental health and well-being support. The issue concerns not only technical proficiency but also the ability to recognize limitations, interactional risks, and the sociotechnical conditions of AI-mediated support.

References

Nevertheless, it remains unclear how well existing AI literacy education equips young adults to navigate conversational AI in personal and higher-stakes contexts, including mental health and well-being support.

— Co-Designing AI For Mental Health Support With Young Adults of Color (YOC): Needs, Expectations, and Implications for AI Literacy  (2610.02812 - Jeon et al., 2 Oct 2026) in Section 2.2.1, “Existing AI Literacy Frameworks for Young Adults”

Emerging K--12-focused initiatives begin to connect AI literacy with well-being , though their applicability to young adults and to mental health-related chatbot use remains unclear.

— Co-Designing AI For Mental Health Support With Young Adults of Color (YOC): Needs, Expectations, and Implications for AI Literacy  (2610.02812 - Jeon et al., 2 Oct 2026) in Section 2.2.1, “Existing AI Literacy Frameworks for Young Adults”

Future work should evaluate, in the mid- or long term, whether developing these competencies has helped participants better address ethical issues in the design of AI systems.

— Developing Competency in AI Ethics: A training framework  (2610.13319 - Prégent et al., 9 Oct 2026) in Section 5, Conclusion