AI literacy as intercultural competence: an inclusive framework for early childhood in the post-digital age

Abstract

This paper examines the integration of Artificial Intelligence into educational environments, with a specific focus on early childhood and the need for a critical and inclusive approach. The article, starting from an analysis of the main operational characteristics of large language models (LLMs), highlights specific risks for children: the anthropomorphisation of conversational agents, overexposure to algorithmic responses deemed plausible, the monetisation of children’s lives through datafication, and disparities in access that may reinforce cultural and socio-economic inequalities. By exploring the concept of AI Literacy, understood as a multidimensional literacy that combines algorithmic understanding, awareness of bias, the ability to critically validate outputs, and a focus on empowerment, an inclusive and intercultural pedagogical framework is proposed that integrates a media education perspective and the construct of critical digital competence, emphasising the need to design technologies that are sensitive to cultural differences and to safeguard the cognitive, emotional and social development of minors.