Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter
In 2029, a global spotlight will turn to how well U.S. students are prepared to understand and use artificial intelligence. For the first time, the Programme for International Student Assessment or PISA will treat AI literacy as a core competency, formally testing it alongside reading, math and science.
That is not an abstract milestone for researchers or policy circles. PISA is a premier scoreboard used globally to compare how well countries are preparing young people for the future. When AI literacy becomes part of that scoreboard, it will send a clear message about who’s ready and who’s not.
The warning signs are already there. The latest PISA results place U.S. students at roughly 28th in mathematics, 6th in reading, and 10th in science among peer nations. Taken together, those rankings paint an uncomfortable picture. By international standards, the United States is already falling behind in areas that will define economic competitiveness in the years ahead.
Based on my experience as a former state commissioner of K-12 education, America is not anywhere near ready to top this list when it comes to AI literacy. If we stay on this trajectory, we may not even make the top 30. Are we ready for this level of embarrassment on the global stage for a technology we largely created?
The problem is not that we lack innovation. Innovation is part of our national identity. The creation of transformational tools is woven into our nation’s history, and AI may prove to be the most revolutionary technology yet. The real problem is that we are not urgently preparing ourselves for the changes AI will bring. At this time, America has no real plan to prepare all our students and educators with anything close to the consistency and urgency this moment requires.
It’s Time to Embrace AI Literacy for Kids
Our country’s patchwork system of state-led educational approaches and requirements is a big reason why. A student’s experience with advanced technology like AI depends largely on their ZIP code, their school district and whether educators have been given the training and support to teach this material well. In some schools, teachers are moving forward with thoughtfulness and energy. In others, staff are frozen by uncertainty, lack of training, or fear about what could go wrong. Many districts still have no clear guidance at all.
Local control has long been one of America’s strengths. But in this case, local control may be becoming a liability. When it comes to AI literacy, our system is both inefficient and inequitable. It means some students will graduate fluent in the most consequential technology of their generation, while others will be left to their own devices. In the future of work, that gap will matter.
I do not believe AI will replace teachers. Teaching is built on human relationships, trust and the ability to motivate young people. But I do believe people with AI skills will replace those without AI skills. Industries will shift. Some jobs will disappear, others will emerge, but one thing is clear: The students who can use AI responsibly and effectively will have a distinct advantage in the future economy.
That is why AI literacy is not a luxury. It is both an economic issue and an equity one.
So what should we do, and why now?
Let’s use the 2029 PISA timeline as a collective spark to give our kids the best opportunity anywhere in the world. Three years is not a lot of time in education. Curriculum adoption takes time. Teacher professional development takes time. Building sensible policies takes time. Let’s embrace this moment in time to instill urgency in everything we do.
It’s time to shift off the path we too often do in education: scramble, improvise and widen the very gaps we claim to care about closing. Instead, let’s work together to develop a true national AI literacy framework, paired with a basic shared approach to assessing progress.
That does not mean federalizing classrooms or punishing schools. A national framework is about consistency and responsibility. It ensures every student learns the fundamentals, regardless of where they live, and it helps educators know what good looks like across grade levels.
AI literacy also needs to be defined clearly. Young people must understand what AI is and what it is not. It is not a human. It is a prediction machine. That distinction matters, especially now that many students are interacting with AI companions. Some of those tools have already been linked to serious harm. Kids deserve straightforward education that helps them navigate this technology safely.
If that sounds like a lot to teach, it is. But we’ve done something similar before with other powerful tools, like computers in classrooms and use of the internet. Those things helped us be more efficient, and more importantly, they helped educators focus on the critical job of teaching.
This is critical, because we must also provide support for our educators if we expect students to be ready for the 2029 PISA test. AI has real potential to improve teaching and learning, but only if educators are trained and given clear guidance on how to use it responsibly and effectively. Without that preparation, we cannot expect consistent outcomes for students.
The same is true for families. Students’ use of AI does not stop at the schoolhouse door, and parents need the tools and understanding to support responsible use at home. Schools and families must be aligned if students are going to develop the skills and judgment this technology demands.
The encouraging news is that this should be common ground. Regardless of politics or geography, we share a responsibility to prepare young people for the world they are entering. What’s needed now is a shared national commitment to AI literacy that creates urgency around implementation and ensures that by 2029, students and educators alike are prepared, confident, and competitive on a global stage.
America invented this moment. Now we need to teach our children how to lead in it.
Did you use this article in your work?
We’d love to hear how The 74’s reporting is helping educators, researchers, and policymakers. Tell us how
