Introducing AI education in school contexts: a 3D-literacy analysis of the Swedish AI subject

This paper examines how AI literacy is conceptualised in Swedish upper secondary school policy documents that govern a newly introduced AI subject. Drawing on Green’s 3D literacy model comprising operational, cultural and critical dimensions, the authors analyse the curriculum and support materials to explore how these dimensions are represented and what this implies for teachers, teacher educators and students. The analysis shows a strong emphasis on operational literacy, some presence of cultural literacy and a limited focus on critical literacy, particularly its agentive dimension. The authors argue that this imbalance may constrain students’ opportunities to critically engage with AI as a sociotechnical phenomenon and limit teachers’ ability to support such engagement. The study contributes to international discussions on AI education by highlighting the need for a more holistic and critical approach to AI literacy, with implications for curriculum design, teacher preparation and educational policy.