Early AI Literacy: Why Children Should Start Learning About Artificial Intelligence Before Kindergarten
As artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly transforms daily life, a growing chorus of education experts is calling for AI literacy instruction to begin in early childhood, well before traditional school years. A recent article in The 74 Million highlights the urgent need to support the youngest learners—those even before kindergarten—with critical skills for an AI-driven world, warning that waiting until primary school may squander a vital developmental window (the74million.org).
This call to action comes as nearly 70 leading technology companies and associations in the United States recently pledged to support accessible AI education initiatives for all K-12 students under a government-backed initiative. However, early childhood advocates and researchers warn that the focus on formal schooling, starting in kindergarten, misses a crucial period of early brain development. During the early years—birth to five—children’s brains form connections at their fastest rate, cementing the foundational skills most crucial for lifelong learning and adaptation.