When I was ten years old, my dad bought a computer and, thanks to an advertising supplement in a Superman comic I read, it was a TRS-80. A month later, he dragged the entire family (my mom and brother were not the most enthusiastic) to a class at Radio Shack teaching how to use microcomputers. At the time, I understood why my mom wasn’t that excited: the computer was yet another gadget in the house. But today I find it fascinating. My mother went to Vassar in the 50s. She learned how to type — not a common skill at the time — but it opened doors. Her ability to communicate effectively led her to a career in adult education and later communications work with the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation).
This isn’t a nostalgia post. Today, the ability to use artificial intelligence, be it through Copilot or simply writing the right prompt, is becoming a critical skill. But is it really that novel?
In the 1500s and 1600s, the printing press gradually made reading accessible beyond clergy and political elites. By the 1700s, if you couldn’t read and write, your career options were severely limited.
By the early 20th century, the introduction of the typewriter created a whole new form of skilled worker. It also helped introduce women into an entire different work environment, the office.
In the 1980s, as my own childhood shows, computers changed even just basic typing. They used the same keyboard but the skills involved shifted the work literacy level once again.
By the 90s, email became essential for business communication. Computer literacy wasn’t just nice to have: it was a requirement. If you didn’t have it, you were going to be left behind.
By the 90s, email became essential for business communication. Computer literacy wasn’t just nice to have: it was a requirement. If you didn’t have it, you were going to be left behind.
By the early 2000s, web literacy — the ability to search and navigate information online — became essential. Those who couldn’t research online or learn new digital skills found themselves increasingly isolated.
Today, we are starting to live in the age of AI literacy. Knowing how to use it responsibly is now a necessity for the workforce of the future.
This pattern is not new. Literacy has evolved since the 1500s: sometimes over hundreds of years, other times within decades. What seems optional today becomes mandatory tomorrow. AI literacy is simply our turn. The tools are available to everyone today. The question is how we choose to use them.
This pattern is not new. Literacy has evolved since the 1500s: sometimes over hundreds of years, other times within decades. What seems optional today becomes mandatory tomorrow. AI literacy is simply our turn. The tools are available to everyone today. The question is how we choose to use them.
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