Promoting AI Literacy in Contemporary Society. A Sociological Perspective

The pervasive diffusion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is reshaping how individuals, institutions, and societies access, process, and govern information. While AI promises increased efficiency and personalization across sectors—education, healthcare, work, and public administration—it also introduces new social inequalities linked to unequal capacities to understand, use, and critically engage with these systems. This article explores the sociological implications of digital literacy as a foundational competence for developing AI literacy. Drawing on a multidisciplinary framework, the paper examines how digital literacy, understood in its epistemic, ethical, and political dimensions, enables critical agency in algorithmically mediated environments. Through a structured analysis of current literature and policy perspectives, the article highlights the need for inclusive, situated, and interdisciplinary educational strategies that empower citizens to participate in AI-related decision-making processes. It concludes by proposing a reconceptualization of digital literacy as a civic infrastructure for algorithmic citizenship, grounded in equity, democratic engagement, and technological accountability.

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