What are the pros and cons of using generative AI to support literacy?

Con: young people need better critical literacy skills to use generative AI effectively

Our 2025 research findings show that while many young people who use generative AI say they add their own thoughts and check outputs, 1 in 4 do not interact with these tools in a critical and creative way. It is essential that all young people build the critical digital literacy skills they need to learn, not just in terms of how to use the tools themselves but also about their wider digital ecosystem. This includes, for example, the ethical and environmental implications of generative AI, potential biases inherent in training data, and inaccurate content.

Con: could cause poorer writing skills overall

In addition, while many teachers can see the potential benefits of generative AI for modelling good writing, they also feel that coming to depend on it could cause poorer writing skills overall, and even decrease the perceived value of developing good writing skills. Generative AI has been described as “more than anything, a technology of writing” and various studies explore how AI is being used to support various aspects of the writing process, including planning, drafting and revising. One study found that US adults using Large Language Models (LLMs) at an early stage of the writing process showed poorer outcomes on measures of brain connectivity compared with those asked to use their own brain initially, before using AI to refine or complement their ideas. While the sample limited to 18 high-achieving adults, future studies in younger teens could make a valuable contribution to the evidence base for policymakers and educators working with this age group.

Similarly, while we may be pragmatic about the need for young people to learn about effective use of these tools for the future workplace, many teachers are concerned about decreased engagement with learning (such as when online research is analysed and synthesised on their behalf).

Con: teachers are unsure of how to use generative AI effectively

Finally, most teachers feel that while young people need support, they too would benefit from training and resources to help them understand how generative AI might be used most effectively to support literacy in the classroom. Academics and educational policymakers should continue to build on existing support and resources offered to teachers by defining ethical and pedagogical boundaries for AI use in schools, and, recognising that many young people are using generative AI with little support or guidance. It's is imperative that there is increased help for teachers to develop expectations for student engagement, including around critical evaluation, citation and co-creation.

As the evidence base improves, it is also important to consider how generative AI might be meaningfully integrated into writing instruction, especially for disengaged or struggling young writers. The challenge will be to harness AI’s potential to support writing while preserving the core values of originality, creativity and persistence that make writing a transformative tool for learning and personal growth. As part of this, writing instruction should prioritise helping children and young people understand the value of not just technically polished work, but writing that develops their critical thinking, creativity and unique personal voice.

Read more: How can AI be useful to support literacy in education?

Pro: strong literacy skills support more effective use of generative AI

As generative-AI tools become more commonplace, some commentators have suggested that foundational literacy skills (reading and writing) will be important for getting the most out of what they can offer.

Reading and writing enable and support users to communicate effectively with generative AI (for example, to craft a good question or prompt) and to critically assess the quality, reliability and ethics of the generated content.

As AI tools become more pervasive and their capabilities expand and improve, it is essential that young people are supported to learn how to use them to support rather than supplant self-expression and, to this end, we support wider calls for AI literacy to be included in the curriculum.

What are we going to do next?

The findings from our 2025 AI and literacy research provide a foundation for our future research in this area. We aim to further explore the future of literacy and subsequent perceptions of the literacy skills most needed to make a positive contribution to the world of work, economy and society, and how generative AI might reconfigure the purpose and practice of reading, writing, speaking and listening in the digital age.

Future surveys will also offer an opportunity to track changes in these areas as generative AI, and its influence on literacy, continues to evolve.