Chapter 3
Intelligent Machines: Why AI Literacy Is The Key to The “New” American Dream
1. The Birth of the Digital Natives
When I think back to my childhood growing up on a farm in North Dakota, one of my earliest memories is of the Adams Public School. My school had two computer rooms, one of which was smaller and located away from the main room. I distinctly recall that this smaller room had only two Apple computers. As a grade school student, I was allowed to go in there to use them.
I remember spending what felt like hours on a bitmap drawing program called “Kid Pix.” I vividly remember using this program, as it had a cool stamp collection that looked like today’s emojis. I could take all of these "stamps" and arrange them in a fantastical manner, creating something like the utter chaos witnessed in the Emoji movie. And if I didn't like what I had created — the stamp-laden, Jackson Pollock colorful paint explosion — there was an eraser that operated like a dynamite-style boom stick. I could just explode my art on the screen and start from scratch. I thought it was the coolest thing ever.
I also remember taking a computer class where we had to use typing books. The books had us typing out long strings of text like "JJ KK JJ KK KJ KJ JK JK," and then we had to intersperse an H or L into the next line. After practicing a few more exercises, we moved on to typing out "FF DD FF DD FD FD DF DF," with S or A thrown in. These repetitive typing lessons were meant to teach us — the so-called "millennial" and "digital native" generation — how to type on a keyboard. Even though we were later proclaimed to have been “born digital” by experts and several esteemed books, we sadly didn’t actually come out of the womb with QWERTY mastered.
Another one of my early memories involves using a search engine. I still remember when my dad asked me what I wanted to search for in Web Crawler, which was a predecessor to Google.
If I recall correctly, I asked to look up photos of a submachine gun, images of Navy Seals, or some combination of the two. I was young. This was when we had 28k Dial-up internet where you actually had to click the “Connect” button to get online and listen to the modem make that famous screeching sound as it connected to the internet through the phone line. Yes, I’m that old school. I recall a time when the internet wasn’t omnipresent and wireless; getting online required a process you had to do each time before you could do the web thing you wanted.
As I look back with the benefit of hindsight, I realize how much I have benefited from the decisions made by others about what technology should be available to me and what skills I should learn. If I wanted to land an Office Space-style job when I finished high school, I could have. However, my word processing and search engine skills weren't exactly the skeleton keys of the digital economy once I graduated.
Nevertheless, I can now see and appreciate the thought that went into ensuring I had access to computers rather than a trencher and ditch-digging shovels.
In all likelihood, certain adults in the federal and state government decided that typing on a keyboard and being computer-savvy were the most important skills that North Dakota kids should acquire. So, they equipped our school with computers for us to use and learn. They realized that computers were the future—that everyone needed to learn how to type fast and accurately, given the onset of the digital age.
In the past few weeks, I have been reflecting on my early memories with computers and their role in my education. I have also been contemplating the increasing role of artificially intelligent machines in everyday life. These machines power various tools such as word processors, slideshows, and spreadsheets, among other things.
As a result, I’ve been asking bigger questions, such as what these technological developments might mean for the future of education and how people learn to use computers. How might the deeper integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into everyday life impact people's opportunities and those they create for themselves?
Where is all of this going, and what will it take to get there? I will explore these questions, the possibilities for where things might go, and much more.
2. The Dawn of Artificial Intelligence Literacy
Perhaps grade school kids today will learn how to generate AI images through ChatGPT-4 and DALL·E 3 rather than using Microsoft Word clip art or Kid Pix’s stamp collections.
Rather than learning how to type each little character meticulously and have perfect keyboarding skills—which is still technically important but not as critical—they’ll also learn voice typing. They’ll become fluent at expressing themselves verbally rather than exclusively through a keyboard, and teachers won’t spend as much time creating a Word document and drilling sequences of characters like “JJ KK JJ KK” into their tiny heads.
Maybe what will be taught in schools will be a confluence of digitally native and artificial intelligence skills. Today’s computer and digital literacy teachers will start educating kids from an early age—not just how to type correctly, create professional documents, and collaborate with classmates on projects—but they’ll also teach them how to leverage the new AI abilities that now exist in Google’s Workspace and Microsoft Office 365 software.
As a result, teaching kids how to be digitally literate or native will no longer be the only focus of schools. Instead, it may become more important to teach them how to transition from being digitally literate and technically savvy to also being AI-literate and native.
In this new age, kids must be artificially intelligent and able to augment their own skills and abilities with AI tools. They must be able to investigate the toolbox of AI tools and reason, “Okay, in this specific situation, I need an AI screwdriver with a flathead.” Let’s say that they need ChatGPT-4 to generate a first draft of an essay or email. However, in this other situation, they must be able to deduce, “I need an AI screwdriver with a Phillips head.” It could be that they need to use Perplexity.AI to draft an essay and provide citations from online sources. In other words, given their situation, they need to know about the different tools inside the toolbox and which ones to use. As they say, every problem looks like a nail when you have a hammer.
AI-powered tools are becoming increasingly prevalent, and it's essential for kids to learn how to use them effectively. Once they enter the workforce, they’ll need to rely on AI to meet the needs of their clients and users, stay competitive in the AI economy, and produce relevant products and services. Students will encounter a wide range of specialized AI tools tailored to their field, and they will need to learn how to use them to be successful. As the use of AI becomes more widespread, it’ll become an essential part of the standard operating system of every company and organization. Workers will need to learn how to use these AI tools effectively to increase productivity and profitability and help their company stay competitive.
AI is becoming increasingly prevalent in both our personal and professional lives. It is already integrated into many of the technology experiences that we use every day, and it will continue to move to the forefront of our interactions. Therefore, it is essential for everyone to develop proficiency in communicating with AI through effective prompts and questions, as well as being able to understand and interpret the results it generates.
Knowledge can be a powerful tool if we know how to use it effectively. When we encounter generated text or media, it's important to approach it critically and ensure that it is accurate, inclusive, and reflects human values before we accept and share it. If we don't do this, we are no better than blind people leading other blind people. In the case of AI-generated content, blindly trusting its output without considering whether it's accurate, complete, or biased can lead to trouble. Being AI-literate means understanding how AI works and whether its output is reliable and sensible. It's important to think critically and decide whether to include the AI's first draft in your final copy. In the past, reading and information literacy were the most important skills to teach, and they still are. However, to become truly literate, children also need to be taught about AI. Building full-stack literacy skills—to use a typical software development term—requires a combination of traditional literacy skills and AI literacy.
Here's a look at the bigger picture and new reality: Everyone in society must learn how to become an AI literate or AI native person. Most importantly, everyone will need to learn how to talk with AI and leverage its capabilities to be empowered to do their work, whether personal or professional. Everyone must, therefore, become skilled in this next-generation technology. They must be able to identify AI-produced works and discern their origin.
Otherwise, the United States will fall behind other countries. Democracy will likely continue to fall apart. Students will fall behind those who are AI literate. To avoid such calamities, we must bring AI skills to the largest audience, from urban centers to rural America. We must ensure that the digital divide does not become a wider AI divide. We must advocate for AI literacy and help people take advantage of the new dream that is being born in front of our eyes: Everyone can leverage intelligent machines to achieve the new American dream.
To truly democratize AI's impact on society, more highly skilled people must translate this technology to a broader population and train them on how AI works and its potential benefits. We must positively impact the world by educating people from all backgrounds about the advantages of AI literacy and how it can help people reach their goals. We must equip educators of all kinds with the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively teach AI literacy and have a more significant impact—helping to ensure everyone is prepared to excel in the AI-heavy world that awaits us all—and is arriving at a breakneck speed.
3. The Democratization of Emerging Technologies
Instead of writing this essay by hand or keyboard, I paced back and forth in my living room and voice-dictated the entire thing using Otter.ai. When I finished, I dropped the text into a Microsoft Word document with the Grammarly AI editor installed and Tracked Changes turned on. I chopped up the voice dictated past and turned it into written or typed words in the present. I took out the ways I stylized the essay while speaking and used the standard conventions used when typing to make an orally authored essay read like a normal one.
Once the final edit is done, I’ll use ChatGPT-4 and DALL·E 3 to generate images so that my essay will look vibrant and enjoyable to read. I’ll even use AI to analyze my essay and find the best pull quotes that illustrate my main points. Rather than picking up a mechanical pencil and legal pad and scribbling circles in cursive writing or sitting down at my desktop computer and clicking the keys one by one to write this essay, I used an AI tool that turns my voice into a first draft text and adds the first layer of grammar and punctuation for me.
Certainly, it helps that I have a writer's mind—that I can compose nearly perfect sentences just by talking. It helps that I'm educated on these in-depth and wide-ranging topics to the point where free-flowing words are possible. But here's the insight: more people will also gain access to these tools and features because they'll soon become a standard part of the product rather than some off-shoot feature. In the technology industry, there's this saying that, "It's a feature, not a product." When that saying is said, it means that a startup has developed an app that is more akin to a feature of, let's say, Microsoft Word rather than a replacement.
Major technology companies and AI-tool startups are now engaged in a once-in-a-lifetime arms race—a once-in-a-generation technological innovation cycle. Together, they’ll invent new and innovative ways to leverage AI to create text documents, visual presentations, and data spreadsheets, among other things. As a result, we’ll start to witness a major emergence and convergence of innovative technologies, and the best ones will either go mainstream or they’ll be acquired and integrated into leading products. Features that once existed on the fringe will converge, integrate with Microsoft and Google suites, and become a standard feature in these products rather than something you must buy or subscribe to separately.
Nuance's voice-to-text product Dragon Naturally Speaking is an excellent example of this concept, which I discovered roughly a decade ago. I started using it back then because I felt more confident talking through my ideas and using my voice to dictate my transcripts than typing text and relying solely on my keyboard to express my ideas. I spoke, and text began appearing on the screen. Suddenly, it didn't matter how fast I typed, how correctly I spelled words, or how perfectly my fingers were perched above the home row. Basically, the speed and execution of my thoughts were as rapid as the words could fall out of my mouth rather than how quickly my eight fingers and two thumbs could string the characters together.
In 2022, Microsoft completed its acquisition of Nuance, the technology company behind Dragon Naturally Speaking. That same technology powers the voice dictation feature inside the Office 365 suite. Now, anyone who has the Office 365 suite also has access to a powerful voice-to-text feature that used to be a standalone product. Now, it is just a standard feature.
If you follow tech news, you know that Microsoft has a massive partnership with OpenAI. It has leveraged that strategic partnership and investment to power its Bing search results and Co-Pilot feature, which will be the major selling point of the Office 365 productive suite in the coming decade. Right now, we still live in a world where Microsoft will sell Office 365 with Co-pilot to the highest enterprise bidder and make an incredible amount of money. It’ll make every knowledge worker a savvier, more productive user of the latest AI technology.
However, as you could’ve probably guessed, that means we're also moving towards a world where Microsoft wants to ensure that the next generation has access to this AI-enabled suite of productivity tools, so it'll sell Office 365 with Co-Pilot to public and private school systems. Today's computer and business education teachers will soon be encouraging their students to use an Office 365 suite that doesn't just open a new document with the same old blinking cursor. It'll have an artificially intelligent assistant that helps them brainstorm ideas, generate drafts, and add compelling formatting, visual elements, and data graphics to their documents. In the coming years, Office 365 with Co-Pilot become the status quo, full stop. Google’s Workspace, which has AI built into everything, is also highly popular among school districts. Schools don’t even need to update their software licenses to benefit from the changes. Google Workplace is already loaded lock, stock, and barrel with AI features.
The age of AI is an incredibly powerful shift taking place in K-12 computer and business education classes. Think about the first time kids start using computers, tablets, or even their smartphones in school—and consider how many AI-native websites and applications they'll use at an early age. Think about how much those artificially intelligent machines will improve, adapt, and advance as they grow and age within the K-12 school system. Imagine how these AI-powered tools and machines will continue to improve, change, and evolve as they enter their first years of college and how much it'll continue if they attend grad school.
One of my favorite B-side Metallica songs is called “No-Leaf Clover.” It has a lyric that aptly describes the AI revolution that’s unfolding in classrooms worldwide: “Then it comes to be that the soothing light at the end of your tunnel was just a freight train coming your way.”
4. The Rise of Spatial Computing
Undoubtedly, Apple's entrance into the virtual and augmented reality sector, or "spatial computing," as CEO Tim Cook and friends call it, signals a new computer age. I experienced the Apple computer and Kid Pix at an early age, which gave me new tools for creativity and self-expression. In the coming years, the generative generation will walk into the Vision Lab and try out Apple's device for the first time. It’ll be equally memorable and transformative as my early memories with Apple computers and usher in the virtual or augmented age.
There are many reasons to be excited about the new opportunities that lie ahead. It could be a moment that triggers another profound revolution, one that people in the sector have been waiting for a long time, some for several decades. Somewhere in the United States and indeed in places the world over, a group of educators and parents have decided to give kids access to this cutting-edge technology and ensure they're positioned to take advantage of the changes ahead. They want to shake things up and break the mold of education the way that the late Apple co-founder and former CEO, Steve Jobs, would’ve greatly appreciated.
These parents are determined to enable their children to leverage the latest computing technology to bring their ideas and aspirations to life. They are willing to go to great lengths, including organizing multiple fundraising events, to purchase an expensive spatial computing device worth $3,500 if that's what it takes to make their children's dreams a reality. We’re currently experiencing a calm before a massive storm that will eventually hit us, slowly at first and then with increasing force. While we continue with our daily tasks and routines, the weather will change, and the hurricane will make its presence felt.
It remains to be seen whether Apple's latest product, the Vision Pro, lives up to the hype that many have claimed in recent months. Only time will tell if this new headset can deliver as promised. The true test will come once the product has been on the market for several years and proven its worth. As more and more apps are optimized for this new platform and new ones are developed, it's likely that a few will stand out from the rest, creating excitement and anticipation among consumers. Ultimately, these breakout experiences will determine whether the Apple Vision Pro becomes a must-have product for the masses.
In the future, Apple is likely to improve the new device, lower its price, and release a Vision headset that will become a popular gift for occasions such as Christmas or birthdays. What I find most exciting is the potential for the Vision Pro and its spatial computing technology to merge with the growing number of AI tools, resulting in a gesture-based, hand-controlled, reality-native experience that has the power to transform our lives. I look forward to seeing how this combination of technology will be featured in headlines, newsstands, and books.
That said, it's important to remember the rise of AI and the new tools for creating content take full advantage of the computing devices that people already possess. This means that people have access to this technological revolution, whether they choose to use it or not. AI has a significant role in the computing experiences that we use every day, such as Apple's latest iOS, which features predictive text integrated directly into the keyboard, and Google and Microsoft's AI-powered search engines, productivity tools, and other future products.
If public school districts allocate budgets to provide their students with the first Vision Pro headsets and establish the first Vision Labs, it’ll be a groundbreaking event that will change the lives of thousands of young students. The implementation will occur over the next few years, and we’ll have to wait and see what happens. However, like a Trojan horse, the AI age has already arrived inside schools. The armored, sword-drawn invaders have already exited the bow and stormed their institutions of higher learning. The only way to prevent the AI age from unfolding within their walls would be to ban every AI tool, return to paper and pencil, and caution parents about the perils of AI, which will undermine their students.
The United States is currently in competition with the rest of the world to develop the first AI-savvy workforce that can fully utilize the latest tools to make companies more profitable and productive. This journey through this maze will bring about significant and disruptive changes in the way work is accomplished and how many people are required to perform a task. The gunshot has been fired. The race has already begun, and every school's computer lab has become or is about to become the new AI Lab. It’s our collective responsibility to make sure that children are equipped with the knowledge to use these tools, proficient in their language and execution, and experts in the newly emerging AI-powered economy.
We don't just need another generation that's digitally savvy enough to help the CEO with basic tasks like unlocking PDFs, troubleshooting printer issues, and printing out email attachments. We really need kids who can use AI effectively, like a powerful tool, and who can tackle the potential benefits and drawbacks of technology that will arise in the coming years. As we progress into the AI age, there will be positive and negative consequences as it unfolds. Therefore, it's crucial that we train the generative generation to be both digital and AI literate. If we don't, someone else will beat us to it, leaving us behind in the tech game.
As a society, we embrace the idea of becoming lifelong learners of AI. We should all strive to become more aware, knowledgeable, and literate in this AI age. Otherwise, we'll be left behind and become replaced by those who have figured out how to use it better, faster, and more creatively than we could have imagined. It might seem like AI is getting more hype than it can deliver, but it's here to stay and already a part of our lives. The revolution is already happening, and you experience it whenever you turn on your phone, open a Google document, or scroll through TikTok. No one can predict what changes will come next or how everything will play out in the next 3-5 years, but being AI literate is now the most critical skill. Those who become AI natives will be the first to benefit from this revolution.
5. The Birth of the “New” American Dream
The bigger question is: what are the main benefits of training more people in digital and AI literacy skills? One of the most powerful advantages of interacting with an AI is the ability to ask any question and receive an answer. The second most powerful benefit is the AI's ability to explain a concept at different levels of complexity and detail, making it easier for you to understand. Another benefit is that you can ask the AI to play any role you want or need, such as a business advisor or mentor. Finally, you can ask for any advice to be broken down into a series of steps or tasks that you can complete in order to achieve your goals.
There has been a lot of online discussion about how AI advancements may lead to job displacement. However, very few people are talking about the potential for AI to empower people to quit their jobs, become entrepreneurs, and start their own businesses to serve their community better. While the existing chatbots can't totally replace the value of work experience, college education, and personal motivation, there are stories of people who have used ChatGPT to develop business ideas and effectively execute their plans to earn money. There are also reports of people who have leveraged ChatGPT to optimize and run their existing businesses. These stories suggest that if more people in more places were trained in the business strategy, online marketing, and entrepreneurial aspects of AI, they could become business owners and create their own jobs instead of fearing job displacement by AI.
As more individuals become familiar with AI tools and learn how to use them to run their businesses, it's possible that more people will be inspired to become entrepreneurs. With the help of AI tools, individuals can manage the workload of multiple people and receive guidance throughout their entrepreneurial journey. This could lead to the creation of more profitable ventures, even in secluded rural areas where job opportunities are scarce. Rural communities often struggle to attract and retain employers, which can result in a lack of high-paying jobs. Additionally, major corporations that do enter these areas may not always reinvest in the local economy and spread the wealth created by their workers. However, as AI technology develops and more people become adept at using it, we may see a rise in digital businesses or small shops opening up on the main streets of rural communities.
There is a growing trend where people are moving back to their hometowns and starting their businesses there. They do this to be closer to their families, enjoy a more affordable lifestyle, and embrace a way of life that is vastly different and much slower compared to the fast-paced hustle that usually embodies city life. Moreover, some people choose to stay in their hometowns and build their careers, even if it means working in areas that are isolated from the main cities. Intelligent machines can empower people in remote areas to pursue the “new” American Dream by enabling them to start their businesses, decide their income goals, and customize their businesses to fit their lifestyles and their community's needs.
Smartphones have brought the internet to everyone's fingertips, making it easy to perform a search from anywhere. However, finding the information you need can be daunting as you have to sift through many sources, some of which may not be relevant or even reliable. In contrast, intelligent machines can analyze the vast amount of data available on the internet and present it in a personalized and easy-to-understand format. This gives users greater confidence in the accuracy of the information and allows them to ask follow-up questions to clarify any uncertainties. The latest AI-powered search engines and chat tools—such as Google’s Bard, Microsoft’s Bing, OpenAI’s Chat-GPT, Claude.AI, or Perplexity.AI—can help people determine their unique needs and achieve their goals by providing them with the information they need in a concise and personalized format. As more people understand how AI works, they will be better equipped to harness its potential to pursue their dreams.
AI has democratized access to information, allowing anyone to ask questions and get answers related to human knowledge, both mundane and profound. However, to prepare for the upcoming disruptions in job sectors, the United States needs to reach out to every single area of the country and provide training on AI literacy skills. This will help people understand how to use AI and prevent them from fearing its potential to replace them.
Previously, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) proposed2 in 2010 creating a National Digital Literacy Corps to empower residents to get online and better understand the digital age. At the time, it was reported one hundred million Americans don’t have high-speed internet at home and that 18 million live in areas with little or no broadband infrastructure.
Currently, approximately 42 million Americans do not have access to broadband, as defined by the FCC as having download speeds of a minimum of 25 megabits per second (Mbps) and upload speeds of at least 3 Mbps. More specifically, 14.4 million households across the U.S. do not have internet access. This lack of access is particularly prevalent in rural areas, where infrastructure for high-speed internet is often lacking. However, the National Digital Literacy Corps never materialized, and the digital divide persists, which is very unfortunate.
Therefore, one solution to this problem is the formation of a National AI Literacy Corps—akin to other volunteer-led programs like AmeriCorps—with educators and trainers sent throughout the country to teach people how AI works and train them the necessary literacy skills. Google recently took this initiative one step further and proposed3 in a recent whitepaper that a Global AI Literacy force be created, akin to the PeaceCorps. Another possibility is to introduce a National AI Literacy Initiative at public schools and libraries across the country and provide training to residents in urban centers and rural communities. There’s a good chance that many forward-thinking schools and libraries already provide such training to their citizens on a regular basis. But for there to be equitable and inclusive educational AI literacy training, there needs to be a huge effort to reach a broader audience.
As technology advances rapidly, there needs to be a continuous effort to equalize opportunities and provide more people with the skills required for the new AI economy that's emerging quickly. These efforts will help ensure that prosperity exists in more places and that the infinite stream of information generated by AI can be accessed by more people who could benefit from learning these new skills.
The entire world is moving like a freight train towards a new age where it is not only about the digital divide but the AI divide, too. It's essential to ensure that people in both urban and rural areas are digitally literate and artificially intelligent. Combining these two skills is what separates those who are AI literate from the rest. People must keep developing their literacy skills as they age to be prepared to take advantage of the opportunities available in the new AI economy. They must be prepared for this new age of AI that empowers anyone from any background to utilize intelligent machines to achieve the “new” American Dream.