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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Commun.
Sec. Media Governance and the Public Sphere
Volume 9 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fcomm.2024.1478476
This article is part of the Research Topic AI and Communication View all articles

Artificial Intelligence literacy among university students -a comparative transnational survey

Provisionally accepted
Hasan M. Mansoor Hasan M. Mansoor 1*Abdelmohsen H. Okela Abdelmohsen H. Okela 2Ala Bawazir Ala Bawazir 3Mustafa A. Alsabri Mustafa A. Alsabri 4Ahmed Alharbi Ahmed Alharbi 1
  • 1 King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • 2 Minia University, Minya, Minya, Egypt
  • 3 International Islamic University Malaysia, Selayang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
  • 4 Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Artificial intelligence (AI) literacy is a crucial aspect of media and information literacy (MIL), regarded not only as a human right but also as a fundamental requirement for societal advancement and stability. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive, cross-border perspective on AI literacy levels by surveying 1,800 university students from four Asian and African nations. The findings revealed significant disparities in AI literacy levels based on nationality, scientific specialization, and academic degrees, while age and gender did not show notable impacts. Malaysian participants scored significantly higher on the AI literacy scale than individuals from other countries. The results indicated that various demographic and academic factors influenced respondents' perceptions of AI and their inclination to utilize it. Nationality and academic degree were identified as the most influential factors, followed by scientific specialization, with age and gender exerting a lesser influence. The study highlights the necessity of focusing research efforts on the detailed dimensions of the AI literacy scale and examining the effects of previously untested intervening variables. Additionally, it advocates for assessing AI literacy levels across different societal segments and developing the appropriate measurements.

    Keywords: AI literacy, Media and Information literacy, Transnational survey, Saudi Arabia (KSA), Egypt, India, Malysia

    Received: 14 Aug 2024; Accepted: 27 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Mansoor, Okela, Bawazir, Alsabri and Alharbi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Hasan M. Mansoor, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.