Artificial Intelligence in Literacy Education: Foundations, Practices and Innovations

“Philippakos, Katsarou, and Sipitanos’s edited volume approaches the topic of AI literacy by posing questions and challenges raised in response to the emergence of recent AI advances as they apply to the broad landscape of assessment, instruction, and teacher training. As some of the most striking advances in AI capabilities are related to language competence, we see embodied in this volume opportunities for new capabilities and tools to be taken up and applied especially in writing instruction. The interdisciplinary and international collection of author teams bring unique perspectives, research, teaching tools, and resources to illustrate shifts in practices across the educational frontier.”
― Carolyn Rose, Professor of Language Technologies and Human-Computer Interaction, Human-Computer Interaction Institute

“To achieve the benefits of generative AI while minimizing its problems, we must unlearn conventional approaches to literacy and reinvent learning and teaching. This book provides a rich description of GenAI as a sociotechnical system in which literacy goes far beyond prompt engineering and fluency in using AI tools. The chapters provide theory- and evidence-based strategies for reconceptualizing reading, writing, language learning, curriculum development, and teacher capacity building. The authors demonstrate that the best form of AI literacy is not improving educational efficiency by doing things better, but increasing excellence and equity by doing better things that AI empowers teachers and students to accomplish.
― Christopher Dede, Senior Research Fellow, Harvard Graduate School of Education

“A timely and thought-provoking collection that brings together distinguished scholars to explore the implications of AI for education. The contributors offer a wealth of perspectives on a topic that is rapidly transforming research and policy alike.”
― Daniel Willingham, Professor of Psychology, University of Virginia

“In this thoughtful and timely collection, editors and contributors provide much-needed frameworks for understanding AI's complexities and nuances in educational contexts. Moving beyond polarized debates and binaries, the chapters highlight how thoughtful exploration and integration of AI can enhance, rather than diminish, the human dimensions of teaching and learning.”
― George Veletsianos, Professor of Learning Technologies, Bonnie Westby Huebner Chair in Education and Technology, University of Minnesota

“This essential volume, Artificial Intelligence in Literacy Education, arrives at a critical moment. The editors have compiled an impressive collection that establishes theoretical foundations and maps the practical realities of integrating AI into the study and practice of literacy.

The chapters offer rigorous analysis and groundbreaking empirical research, tackling some of the most pressing challenges facing educators today. The contributions move seamlessly across conceptual clarity, such as defining the dual need for a new pedagogy and research culture, to specific, impactful applications. Highlights include chapters that focus on using AI to support both reading and writing skills, revising with AI, and teachers’ AI literacy skills.

Assembled by preeminent and internationally renowned experts, this book will help readers navigate teaching and research of literacy in the era of AI, moving past questions of “good” and “bad” and arriving at illustrations and suggestions of sound, innovative practice.”
― Joshua Wilson, Associate professor CEHHS, University of Delaware

“Artificial Intelligence in Literacy Education offers a thought-provoking and timely set of contributions that critically examine the role of AI in literacy education. This collection challenges us to reimagine pedagogies and competencies that better prepare learners to thoughtfully and responsibly engage with AI-systems across literacy domains.”
― Panayiota (Pani) Kendeou, Distinguished McKnight University Professor and Guy Bond Chair in Reading, University of Minnesota

“This work offers a clear and forward-looking perspective on how AI holds the potential of truly enhancing learning. Rather than treating AI as a shortcut, it positions it as a partner that can deepen inquiry, sharpen reasoning, and support meaningful engagement with complex ideas. The volume underscores that AI literacy is not simply about knowing how to use the tools, but about Socratically learning to question, interpret, and refine their outputs with intellectual rigor. It provides thoughtful and practical approaches for integrating AI in ways that elevate critical thinking, metacognitive awareness, and human agency. Timely and insightful, this work contributes a confident and constructive voice to the future of AI-augmented education.”
― Vasileios Maroulas, Ph.D., Professor, Associate Vice Chancellor, Director of AI Tennessee Initiative

“Artificial Intelligence in Literacy Education gathers diverse scholars to frame AI literacy as reflective, ethical, and critical engagement, not mere tool use. It confronts the illusion of fluency, misinformation, and bias, and warns against cognitive offloading and automation complacency. Grounded in practical wisdom and a pedagogy of discernment, it offers frameworks and classroom-facing applications that treat AI as co-intelligence while keeping human judgment central, especially in language and writing-related learning.”

― Savvas A. Chatzichristofis, Professor of Artificial Intelligence and Vice-Rector for Research and Innovation, Neapolis University Pafos

Zoi A. Traga Philippakos, Ph.D., is Associate Professor at the department of Theory and Practice in Teacher Education (TPTE) at the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Her research interests include writing and reading instruction in K to 12 classrooms and in postsecondary settings, strategy instruction with self-regulation, motivation, and teacher professional development. She currently conducts research examining the use of AI and ChatGPT on teachers’ writing practices.

Eleni Katsarouis Professor of Curriculum Theories and Instruction at the Department of Primary Education, University of Crete, Greece. Her research interests include curriculum development, (multi)literacies education, and teacher professional development through action research.

Konstantinos Sipitanos, Ph.D., is postdoctoral researcher at the University of Crete with the theme: “Development and Evaluation of Teaching Materials of Semantic Web (Web 3.0) Digital Literacy Practices”. He also teaches in the Hellenic Open University in the Postdoctoral Program “Contemporary Tensions in Linguistics for Educators.”