Developing and validating an artificial intelligent empowerment instrument: evaluating the impact of an artificial intelligent literacy programme for secondary school and university students

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming various sectors of society, requiring a new form of literacy: AI literacy. This study validated a new instrument designed to measure students’ AI empowerment conceptualised as consisting of four components: impact, self-efficacy in AI, creative self-efficacy in AI, and meaningfulness. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to validate the proposed components of the AI empowerment instrument. The sample comprised 224 secondary school and university students who completed an 18-hour AI literacy programme. The results showed that the students’ AI empowerment was significantly increased by the AI literacy programme. Specifically, the AI literacy programme was found to narrow the gender gap in AI empowerment. Furthermore, the results highlighted that prior programming experience did not significantly affect AI empowerment, indicating that AI literacy can be achieved regardless of programming experience. This study provides a theoretical framework for understanding and quantifying the extent to which individuals feel empowered after engaging with AI activities for its conceptual understanding. It provides educators with a tool to measure students’ understanding and confidence in their AI abilities. The study also suggests directions for future research.