Rethinking AI Literacy
Fluent, not finished when learning living languages
đ¸ ikigai çăç˛ć is a reason for being, your purpose in life â from the Japanese iki çă meaning life and gai ç˛ć meaning worth đ¸
I used to have a comfort blanket in French.
âJe parle le français un très petit peuâ I learned to pronounce it perfectly, with just the right apologetic smile. A pre-emptive surrender before Iâd even tried to communicate.
I got reasonably good at reading and writing French, and could follow conversations if people spoke slowly. But speaking it aloud? That scared me, so Iâd lead with my disclaimer and hope nobody expected too much. Not sure where I learnt that imperfect equals useless.
I hear the same thing often with AI. âIâm not technical.â âI donât really understand this stuff.â âIâve tried ChatGPT but Iâm probably doing it wrong.â
The comfort blanket phrases change, but the underlying fear does not.
While pondering what we really mean by âAI Literacyâ and how to tackle teaching it in service of helping my community thrive ⌠I think we should probably stop treating it like a test we might fail, and instead treat it like a language weâre learning to speak⌠imperfectly, incrementally and with an accent thatâs entirely our own but checking in with others to make sure they understand us! My Island home handed me a helpful metaphor.
Ta Blein ny Gaelgey ayn!
Itâs the Year of the Manx Language here on the Isle of Man.
Such a special thing to embrace as our language nearly died out, English replacing it for the majority towards the end of the 19th century. My Manx nana was born in 1925 and she didnât speak it, nor did her parents as far as I know (I was blessed to have known them as a tiny child and Nana Kate and Granddad Frank definitely spoke English to me hehe).
Blein ny Gaelgey is a twelve month celebration of our native tongue, organised by Jeebin, the Manx Language Network. Their aim? To ensure that everyone, wherever theyâre from, whatever their knowledge of Manx is, knows that this year of language belongs to us all.
I love the framing and ethos of âManx language for all.â
Iâve put my money where my mouth is, and attend weekly online Manx lessons. Itâs been so long since I tried to learn a new language, decades since those French classes, and Iâm finding it challenging. It greatly inspires me though that most of the others on my course arenât even from the Island. People from elsewhere choosing to learn our language. How lovely and cool is that?!
Itâs important for our heritage and cultural vibrancy to nurture our Manx revival and even learning a few words helps in that! Something is better than nothing, starting small beats overthinking.
Sound familiar?
Because thatâs also how I think about AI literacy. It doesnât matter if youâve only typed a few prompts, if youâre an absolute beginner or if youâre confidently building workflows. This technology is bigger than any single app, in the same way the internet is bigger than any single website.
It belongs to all of us now.
Which means the decisions about how it gets used, what problems it solves, whose voices shape its development... those belong to all of us too. But you canât have a say in conversations you canât follow. You canât spot when somethingâs gone wrong if you donât understand a little of how it works in the first place.
On our small Island, weâre aiming for 10% GDP growth through AI by 2030. Thatâs not just a government target, itâs our collective future being designed right now. If our people feel unable to engage, weâre building that future without our community wisdom, with less questioning or concerns heard. The literacy gap isnât for me about missing out on productivity, itâs about who gets to shape what comes next.
That path to understanding and using AI well looks remarkably like learning a language⌠messy, gradual, deeply personal.
The vocabulary of doing
Manx speakers donât wake up one morning suddenly fluent. They practice. They stumble. They ask for words theyâve forgotten. They speak with accents shaped by their own lives and histories.
What if AI literacy works the same way?
What if âbeing good at AIâ means something closer to conversational fluency than native-speaker perfection? The ability to communicate, to get your meaning across, to learn from the moments when youâre misunderstood⌠and to keep showing up.
People learn the vocabulary of AI by doing, not by memorising definitions or theory.
Someone might not be able to explain what GenAI means in technical terms, but after theyâve spent twenty minutes crafting instructions for Claude to help them write in their own voice? They understand it in their bones. Theyâve used the word in a sentence. Theyâve made meaning with it.
This is how languages work. You donât learn French by studying grammar tables (although, fair play, that helps). You learn it by ordering the wrong thing in a restaurant and vowing never to forget pommes did not mean potatoes again grin
I made a custom GPT to help me with Manx translation, you can find it by searching âManx AIâ in ChatGPTâs custom GPTs. It helps me understand sentences I see written down and figuring out how to respond. AI helping me learn a language, a language helping me understand how AI learning works. I *love* that, so so much.
Studies show that learning another language boosts brain health, strengthens memory, improves attention and encourages more flexible thinking. It makes us more adaptable and better at problem-solving.
The exact capacities we need to navigate a world where AI is reshaping things ever more rapidly.
Donât stress about your accent
You are allowed to be imperfect at this.
You are allowed to ask questions that feel basic. You are allowed to use AI for âjustâ drafting emails or âjustâ brainstorming ideas. You are allowed to be conversational rather than fluent.
Iâm at a very awkward and shy stage with Manx. I know a few people who speak it and I could practise with them. But thereâs something about opening your mouth and letting imperfect sounds come out in front of someone who knows what theyâre doing... itâs vulnerable in a way that typing into an AI tool isnât.
The same fear shows up with AI. People who can technically use the tools but wonât experiment in front of colleagues. Who say âIâm probably doing this wrongâ as protective armour.
Your AI accent⌠the particular way you prompt, the kinds of tasks you reach for it to help with, the questions you ask⌠will be shaped by your work, your life, your curiosities.
Community as classroom
One of the most awesome things about the Year of Manx is its emphasis on community. Jeebin brings together educators, families, organisations and learners at every level. There are weekly classes, taster courses, festivals, concerts and gatherings where people simply practice together.
Learning happens in relationships.
I see this every month at our Isle of Man AI Community of Practice. We meet to share what weâre experimenting with, to ask questions we might feel silly asking elsewhere, to troubleshoot together when something doesnât work. No one expects anyone to have it all figured out. Weâre all learning.
My friend Chris and I talk often about being the change we want to see, usually straight after feeling fired up and inspired by our fab CoP group. Maybe I need to create my own community of practice for shy awkward Manx learners⌠people like me who know a bit, want to know more, but arenât quite ready to practise with the fluent or confident speakers yet. A safe space to stumble together.
The research says that language learning combats social isolation and fosters community cohesion. It gives people an enhanced sense of place and belonging. Iâve watched the same thing happen in our AI sessions, people arriving nervous and leaving connected, because theyâve found fellow travellers rather than solely learning a new skill.
If youâre feeling overwhelmed by how much you donât know, find your people. A community of practice. A colleague whoâs also curious. A friend whoâll experiment alongside you. The language of AI is easier to learn when youâre not learning it alone.
What literacy really looks like
So what does AI literacy mean in practice, stripped of jargon and urgency?
I think it means developing a working vocabulary⌠not every word, but enough to communicate. It means being able to ask for what you need and understand most of what comes back. It means recognising when youâre being misunderstood and knowing how to rephrase.
It means having the confidence to try, even when youâre not sure youâre doing it right.
It means understanding that youâll never be âfinishedâ learning, because the language itself keeps evolving. New words emerge. New expressions become common. What felt cutting-edge last year becomes ordinary.
Importantly, it means knowing that fluency isnât the goal. Connection is. Getting your meaning across. Doing something useful with this strange new capability thatâs suddenly everywhere.
The ability to understand, evaluate and responsibly use artificial intelligence technologies in daily life and work. Having the critical thinking to know when NOT to use AI too.
The Manx language was once considered extinct. Ned Maddrell, the last native speaker, died in 1974. And yet here we are, fifty years later, with thousands of speakers and a whole year dedicated to celebration and growth. The language came back because people chose to learn it imperfectly, together.
The best things about learning Manx through Blein ny Gaelgey is that it isnât a solo sport. You borrow confidence from other learners. You laugh together at your mistakes and try again because someone else is trying too.
Thatâs exactly how I want AI learning to feel as well. You donât need to become an expert, and itâs impossible for anyone to understand everything anyway!
Not competitive. Not performative. Not âwho knows the mostâ. Just humans practising a new language together.
So if youâve been hovering at the edge, thinking youâre behind⌠come closer. Thereâs room. Thereâs time. There are people whoâll stumble with you. You donât have to arrive fluent. You can arrive shaky.
Speak in half-sentences if thatâs all youâve got today. Ask the âbasicâ question. Try the small thing. Keep showing up. Fluency doesnât arrive like a certificate. It grows the way confidence grows⌠through practice, and through being met kindly.
The moment you start speaking, the language starts becoming yours.
Whatâs one small âsentenceâ you could try this week, in AI or in life, even if it comes out a bit wobbly if getting it wrong was allowed? And who could you practise with, maybe even one fellow traveller, so youâre not doing it alone?
Sarah, seeking ikigai xxx
PS Try this Bullet journal spread idea âThe Language Learnerâs Journalâ
Create a weekly spread with four quadrants;
Conversations had â What did you actually use AI for this week? No judgement, just log it.
Words that clicked â What concept or technique suddenly made sense through doing?
The awkward bit â Where did you feel shy, stuck, or like you were âdoing it wrongâ? (This is data, not failure.)
Next weekâs experiment â One small thing to try. Not master, try.
Journal prompts to try;
Who could I stumble alongside without needing to perform competence?
What do people come to me for? Could AI help me do more of that?
If this technology âbelongs to all of us,â whatâs my share to claim?
At the monthâs end, look back. Youâre not tracking progress toward perfection, youâre documenting a language coming alive.
PPS Try this AI coaching prompt with thinking mode on;
âBe my AI âlanguageâ or literacy tutor. Start by assessing my current vocabulary, ask me what AI tools Iâve tried, what worked, what didnât land and how confident I feel on a scale of 1-10. Then uncover my fluency in other areas, what am I already good at? What do people come to me for? What energises me?
Now find the bridge, where do my existing strengths meet AI capabilities I havenât discovered yet? Teach me one new âphraseâ a specific technique or approach, that feels like a natural extension of how I already think and work.
Finally, give me homework⌠one small way to practise this week, and one question to reflect on. End by asking what I want our next lesson to focus on.â
Let it ask you questions, answer honestly and see what emerges.
PPPS This weekâs soundtrack - đľ âTalkâ by Coldplay
Thereâs a robot in the video, stumbling through a world it doesnât quite understand, searching for connection. The synth line is borrowed from Kraftwerkâs âComputer Love.â And the song asks us are you lost or incomplete?
Neither, I think. Still learning to communicate.
The song is called âTalk.â Thatâs all any of us are trying to do⌠with AI, with each other, with languages old and new. Find the words. Say them imperfectly. Keep the conversation going.
PPPPS â If youâre on the Isle of Man and want to learn alongside others, our AI Community of Practice meets monthly. Drop me a message if youâd like to know more. No fluency required. Accents welcome. To learn more about the Year of the Manx Language, visit yearofmanx.im. Gura mie eu (thank you) for reading.




Sarah, I love this inclusive definition of what AI literacy is. I agree entirely that it's something for us to discover as a collaborative process rather than specific definitions doled by highfalutin academics. The irony of that last sentence is not lost on me...