Beyond Code: Prioritising AI Literacy and Ethics in Schools

Curricula must shift from traditional coding to essential prompting skills, privacy, and ethical reasoning.

Article link: https://open.substack.com/pub/johanosteyn/p/beyond-code-prioritising-ai-literacy?r=73gqa&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Audio summary: https://youtu.be/HYSJEuqxGVs

I write about various issues of interest to me that I want to bring to the reader’s attention. While my main work is in Artificial Intelligence and technology, I also cover areas around politics, education, and the future of our children. This article explores a critical re-evaluation of our school curricula, arguing for a stronger emphasis on AI literacy, ethics, and prompting skills to prepare our youth for the AI-driven future of our country.

While coding and robotics education offer a valuable introduction to computational thinking and problem-solving, the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence—particularly agentic AI and natural-language-driven tools like vibe coding—signals a fundamental shift in the skills young people truly need. As AI systems increasingly generate, debug, and manage code autonomously through plain-language instructions, traditional coding becomes less central to future employability. Instead, schools should urgently prioritise comprehensive AI literacy.

This must include a strong emphasis on effective prompting, critical reasoning, and a deep understanding of AI’s capabilities and limitations. Students must learn how to communicate with AI systems precisely, challenge their outputs, and collaborate with AI as active partners rather than merely learning syntax that machines can now automate. Prompt engineering is quickly becoming a core 21st-century skill—arguably more foundational than writing code itself.

CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND

The traditional focus on coding and robotics in schools, while well-intentioned, risks preparing students for a technological landscape that is already transforming. The advent of agentic AI, where systems can autonomously perform multi-step tasks based on high-level instructions, and “vibe coding,” which allows for software creation through natural language, fundamentally changes the nature of programming.

These advancements mean that the barrier to creating and manipulating digital tools is significantly lowered, shifting the value from rote coding to strategic interaction and ethical oversight. South Africa’s recent decision to delay mandatory coding and robotics in schools, prioritising literacy and numeracy, inadvertently creates an opportunity to rethink the curriculum towards more pertinent AI skills.

Leading educational institutions and experts now advocate for a curriculum that focuses on AI literacy as a core competency. This framework, supported by organisations like the World Economic Forum, emphasises understanding AI foundations, practical skills in interacting with AI, and crucially, its ethical implications. The goal is to equip students not just to use AI, but to understand its underlying mechanisms, biases, and societal impact.

This includes learning how to effectively “prompt” AI, a skill that enables users to extract meaningful and relevant information and direct AI agents to perform complex tasks. Without this shift, our educational systems risk producing a generation proficient in outdated technical skills, rather than one prepared to navigate and shape an AI-driven world.

INSIGHT AND ANALYSIS

The transition from coding to prompting mastery is profound. Traditional coding teaches a machine’s language; prompt engineering teaches us how to effectively communicate *our* language and intent to the machine. This involves a nuanced understanding of context, persona, and structured thinking, allowing students to guide AI towards specific, actionable outcomes. For instance, learning to define clear tasks for an AI agent, provide rich contextual information, and use exemplars for precision are far more impactful skills than memorising coding syntax that an AI can now generate or debug.

This empowers students to become “AI orchestrators,” directing intelligent systems to solve real-world problems. This is particularly important for the future of our country, as it equips our youth with skills directly applicable to innovation and problem-solving in a rapidly evolving economy.

Even more importantly, schools must urgently address the ethical and privacy dimensions of AI. As AI tools permeate classrooms and children’s daily lives, vast amounts of personal data are collected, analysed, and stored. This raises significant concerns about surveillance, algorithmic bias, and the potential misuse of sensitive information. Students need structured, age-appropriate education in digital privacy, understanding how their data is used, and recognising the ethical implications of AI.

They must learn to identify and challenge algorithmic bias, maintain academic integrity in an age of AI-generated content, and critically interrogate AI outputs rather than accepting them blindly. Oxford professor Rebecca Eynon argues that children must learn critical questioning, inclusion, and responsible AI design—not just coding. This human-centred AI curriculum—rooted in transparency, responsibility, and critical thinking—better prepares learners for an AI-driven future than coding alone.

With no-code and vibe coding platforms democratising software creation, the real power lies not in writing lines of code, but in understanding how to use AI wisely, safely, and ethically. For my children, this ethical grounding is paramount, ensuring they become responsible digital citizens.

IMPLICATIONS

For schools, this curriculum shift necessitates significant investment in teacher training for AI literacy and prompt engineering, as highlighted by eCampusNews. Educators need practical guidance on privacy, data protection, and fairness when using AI in the classroom, as outlined by the European Commission. This also means fostering a culture of continuous learning and adaptation, where the curriculum evolves with technological advancements.

For parents, understanding this shift is crucial for guiding their children’s education and fostering open conversations about AI’s ethical implications. For our country, prioritising AI literacy and ethics ensures that our future workforce is not only technologically capable but also ethically responsible, mitigating risks of bias and misuse while maximising AI’s potential for societal benefit. This proactive approach is essential to create a future where AI serves human flourishing, rather than exacerbating existing challenges, thereby safeguarding the well-being and opportunities for our children.

CLOSING TAKEAWAY

The future demands an educational pivot: less rote coding, more AI literacy, effective prompting, and robust ethical reasoning. Equipping our children with these human-centred AI skills is paramount for their future, our country’s progress, and a responsible digital society.

Author Bio: Johan Steyn is a prominent AI thought leader, speaker, and author with a deep understanding of artificial intelligence’s impact on business and society. He is passionate about ethical AI development and its role in shaping a better future. Find out more about Johan’s work at https://www.aiforbusiness.net