Teachers and principals packed into a high school auditorium in Charleston, South Carolina, this summer and watched an instructor prompt an AI tool to "create a map of the world." The result drew gasps of disbelief. Mali was spelled "Mail." Egypt appeared as "Sopth." In place of Libya, the map simply said "Africa." Dozens of country names were misspelled or written in gibberish.
"If you ever want kids not to over trust these tools, try the map demo," said Amanda Bickerstaff, founder and CEO of AI For Education, the organization leading the training session.
The exercise is part of a broader shift in U.S. public schools. After initially trying to ban AI, a growing number of districts are encouraging classroom experimentation - partly so students can see the technology's flaws, including generative AI's tendency to "hallucinate," or fabricate information.
AI literacy has become a buzzword of this back-to-school season. But there is no single, coherent definition of what it means, or how best to teach it. Tech companies like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic offer schools training sessions in how to use their tools. For many educators, though, AI literacy is about more than writing good prompts.
"Good AI literacy includes knowing when not to use it," said Rebecca Winthrop, director of the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution.
One district builds its own approach
Thirty-seven states have published official AI guidance for schools. South Carolina is not one of them, so the Charleston County School District - the state's second-largest, with 50,000 students - built its own approach. District leaders contacted AI For Education, which has helped draft guidance for Chicago Public Schools, Houston, and dozens of other districts.
In the first phase, the district developed an AI policy with input from teachers, students, and parents. Student focus groups revealed that AI use was widespread but unguided. Teachers and students said they were navigating the technology on their own and wanted clear rules and instruction.
Studies show a majority of teenagers and teachers nationwide are using AI for schoolwork, but very few have received formal training on how it works. Schools are eager to avoid the mistakes made with social media, where kids explored online platforms without guidance on addictive algorithms or comparison culture - factors linked to a youth mental health crisis.
This school year, Charleston's second phase begins: training. Teachers and middle and high school students will get a mix of online and in-person instruction on how AI tools work and how to use them effectively. The student course walks through scenarios like asking a chatbot to help with a research paper, showing that generative AI might deliver plausible-sounding sources with invented facts.
A section on data privacy cautions against sharing personal information with AI tools because conversations can be stored, used for data training, and potentially leaked.
High school teacher Ray Knauer attended the summer training and left with "teachable moments" for his AP Research class. He plans to show examples of AI bias and hallucinations to fuel student discussions.
"We're all trying to figure this out right now: What's the right balance so we don't make students overconfident in AI but don't encourage them to run to it," Knauer said. "You can't just get an answer and move on. You have to use analytical skills and go deeper."
Utah takes a statewide approach
Utah was an early pioneer in AI education. In 2024, the state board of education named Matt Winters its AI education specialist, making Utah the first state to create a full-time position overseeing the technology in schools.
Over the past year, Winters led AI training for over 7,000 teachers - almost a third of Utah's public school instructors. He is helping districts shape AI policies, which state law requires them to have in place by July 2027. A handful of other states, including Maine, West Virginia, and Georgia, have followed Utah's lead.
Utah's training starts with the basics of how AI works and its risks, then moves to using the tools. Teachers can seek additional training on specific applications. The state also negotiated data privacy agreements and discounted prices for AI tools, giving rural and under-resourced districts access.
"Everyone needs to understand what this technology is and how it works," Winters said. "AI literacy is much larger than saying: 'Don't use AI.' It's about how we can prepare kids for the future."
In other states, AI approaches vary widely from one district to another. That inconsistency raises concerns that kids in under-resourced districts might not get the same attention.
Kristina Yamada, the Utah Board of Education's digital technology director, said teachers need to change their mindset about students using AI honestly. There has always been cheating, she said. It's up to teachers to speak students' language and show them how they can rely on AI appropriately.
"People can lie. A school can lie. A program can lie. A robot can lie," Yamada said. "Remember that."
Why this matters for educators
For teachers and school administrators, the takeaway is practical: AI literacy is not a single curriculum or a one-time training. It requires ongoing investment, district-level policy, and a willingness to let students see the technology fail. Educators who want structured guidance can explore the AI for Teachers Learning Path, which covers how to use AI tools responsibly in classroom settings. The broader AI for Education collection offers additional resources on integrating AI into lesson plans and school policy.
As Charleston's deputy superintendent Lucas Craft put it, building AI literacy from scratch has been "a huge endeavor." For districts just starting, the key is to begin with the basics - how AI works, where it fails, and when not to use it - before worrying about advanced tools.
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