When OECD Draws a Learning Map for Children in the Age of AI
OECD and the European Commission have released the first global K–12 AI Literacy Framework, mapping the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and four domains children need for the age of AI.
# When OECD Draws a Learning Map for Children in the Age of AI
**OECD and the European Commission release the first global K–12 AI Literacy Framework: four domains, three pillars, and a formal role in PISA 2029.**
## Main source
This report draws on the OECD publication *Empowering Learners for the Age of AI: An AI Literacy Framework for Primary and Secondary Education*. The framework was released by the OECD together with the European Commission, with support from Code.org and international experts. It was formally approved by the OECD PISA Governing Board on 8 April 2026. A full list of sources appears at the end of this article.
## First, what is the OECD?
OECD stands for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Established in 1961 and headquartered in Paris, it currently has 38 member countries, including many major developed economies in Europe, North America, Japan, Korea, and Australia.
One of its best-known programmes is PISA, the Programme for International Student Assessment, held every three years. PISA assesses the reading, mathematics, and science capabilities of 15-year-old students around the world, and its results often influence national education policy. For this reason, the OECD’s views on education carry significant international weight. When it publishes a standard, education ministries across many countries often treat it as a direction worth watching in the years ahead.
In June 2026, the OECD and the European Commission released the first formal K–12 AI Literacy Framework: *Empowering Learners for the Age of AI*. The document is not mainly about teaching children to code. It asks a more fundamental question: now that AI has entered everyday life, what do children need to learn in order to stand firmly and move confidently through this new era?
It is especially important because this framework will inform the AI literacy component of the PISA 2029 media and AI literacy assessment. In other words, this is not simply a future-facing conversation. It is becoming part of the international learning landscape that students will soon encounter.
## What problem is this framework trying to solve?
At the beginning of the framework, the OECD identifies one of education’s most urgent challenges: AI has quietly entered everyday life, yet children are not always prepared to understand or navigate it.
> AI is driving one of the most profound technological and social transformations in human history. Education systems must equip young people to navigate and use AI responsibly, confidently, and with judgement.
>
> — Andreas Schleicher, Director for Education and Skills, OECD
The framework’s central argument is clear: AI literacy is not “being able to code,” and it is not simply “knowing how to use ChatGPT.” It is a combination of **knowledge, skills, and attitudes**. Learners need to understand how AI works, evaluate its outputs critically, and use it responsibly, ethically, and creatively.
The OECD and the European Commission define AI literacy as the technical knowledge, durable skills, and future-oriented attitudes needed to thrive in a world shaped by AI. It enables learners to participate in, create with, manage, and shape AI—while critically evaluating its benefits, risks, and ethical implications.
## The three pillars: knowledge, skills, and attitudes
The framework rests on three foundational pillars. Without these, the four domains that follow cannot become meaningful learning.
### 1. Knowledge
Learners need to understand what AI is, how it works, and how it affects society and the environment. This is more than operating a tool. It means asking why AI can make mistakes, why it may contain bias, and how it is trained.
### 2. Skills
Learners need to use AI to solve problems, communicate, and create. They should know how to use it with purpose—and how to assess its output critically rather than accepting every answer without question.
### 3. Attitudes
Learners need to develop curiosity, empathy, and responsibility in digital spaces. This is often overlooked, yet the OECD emphasises it strongly. AI literacy is not only a technical matter; it is also about how people relate to powerful tools.
> This comprehensive approach helps learners become critical, ethical, and adaptive users of AI—not passive consumers.
>
> — OECD / European Commission, AI Literacy Framework
## Four domains: from using AI to shaping it
Built upon the three pillars, the OECD sets out four domains that give educators concrete entry points for teaching. The sequence moves from using AI to shaping AI.
### Domain 1: Engage with AI
This is the foundational level. Learners should recognise when they are interacting with AI—for example, through YouTube recommendations, ChatGPT responses, or social-media feeds.
The key ability is awareness: knowing AI is operating in the background, understanding how it can influence what one sees, and recognising when it may be wrong.
### Domain 2: Create with AI
The next step is to use AI as a creative tool and a partner for solving problems. This does not mean giving AI a task and copying the result. It means treating AI as a co-designer.
Learners should be able to use AI for research, artistic work, and problem-solving while retaining their own judgement and choices.
### Domain 3: Manage AI
At a deeper level, learners need to decide when to use AI and when not to use it. The OECD places particular importance on this capacity.
The key abilities include evaluating risk, setting boundaries for use, protecting privacy and personal data, and judging whether an AI response is trustworthy. In the age of AI, learning when not to use AI is as important as learning how to use it.
### Domain 4: Shape AI
This is the highest level. Learners are not only users; they can participate in conversations about how AI should be designed, governed, and used for social good.
They should be able to reflect on AI’s social impact, take part in ethical discussion, and form their own views about the future of AI. This domain prepares children to be citizens, not only consumers.
## Why is this framework being released now?
The significance of this document becomes clearer when placed on its timeline.
| Date | Development |
|---|---|
| 2024 | OECD and the European Commission launched development of the AI Literacy Framework, joined by Code.org and experts from Canada, the United States, Uruguay, Germany, France, Croatia, and other countries. |
| 22 May 2025 | A draft was released for feedback from educators and policymakers worldwide. |
| January 2026 | OECD released *Digital Education Outlook 2026*, including the finding that general-purpose AI can contribute to metacognitive laziness. |
| 8 April 2026 | The OECD PISA Governing Board formally approved the framework and declassified it as an official document. |
| June 2026 | The final version was published by OECD Publishing in Paris. |
| 2029 | The framework will inform the PISA 2029 media and AI literacy assessment for 15-year-old students. |
This is more than a general recommendation. It is becoming a standard that will be used to assess students internationally. Countries, schools, teachers, and families all have reason to begin understanding it now.
## What does this mean for Taiwan?
Taiwan is not an OECD member, but OECD influence reaches well beyond its member countries. In Taiwan’s current context, several points are worth considering.
First, Taiwan’s Ministry of Education “AI Talent Ark” initiative moves in a similar direction. Its four capabilities—learning with AI, using AI responsibly, solving problems with AI, and developing capacities that AI cannot replace—align closely with the OECD’s movement from engaging and creating to managing and shaping AI. Both lead learners from being consumers toward being citizens.
Second, critical thinking and avoiding passive consumption are now global consensus points. The OECD repeatedly stresses that learners should be critical, ethical, and adaptive users rather than passive consumers. This is consistent with the direction reflected in Taiwan’s e-degree initiatives, Singapore’s SLS, the IB’s principles, and UNESCO guidance.
Third, attitudes are often overlooked but may be the most important pillar. Many discussions of AI education focus on knowledge—what to teach—and skills—how to use AI. The OECD includes attitudes alongside them: curiosity, empathy, and responsibility. This reminds us that education in the AI era is not only about teaching students what they can do. It is also about teaching what kind of people they can become.
## For everyone who cares about children’s future
The value of this OECD framework does not lie in claiming to be perfect. Its value lies in making AI literacy more concrete: something that can be taught, learned, and assessed.
More importantly, it tells us that AI literacy is much more than the ability to operate an AI tool. It is a full set of capacities: to engage, create, manage, and ultimately shape AI. It requires knowledge, skills, and attitudes.
For teachers, parents, and everyone in Taiwan who cares about children’s future, this framework is worth reading carefully. In three years, students around the world will be assessed against ideas shaped by these standards.
> The heart of AI literacy is not simply “knowing how to use AI.” It is learning when not to use AI.
When everyone is rushing to teach children how to use AI, the ability that may become most scarce—and most precious—is knowing when to close the screen and think with one’s own mind.
The OECD framework is the first learning map written for that capability.
## Full sources
1. OECD / European Commission, *Empowering Learners for the Age of AI: An AI Literacy Framework for Primary and Secondary Education* (June 2026). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1787/65cd27d4-en. Full text: https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/empowering-learners-for-the-age-of-ai_65cd27d4-en.html
2. AI Literacy Framework: https://ailiteracyframework.org/
3. OECD Education and Skills Today, “New AI Literacy Framework to Equip Youth in an Age of AI.”
4. European Education Area, “Empowering learners for the age of AI: draft AI literacy framework launch” (22 May 2025).
5. BABL AI, “OECD and European Commission Unveil Draft AI Literacy Framework for Schools.”
*Education Newsletter | Original briefing date: 24 June 2026 | Topic: OECD “Empowering Learners for the Age of AI” — a complete analysis of the AI Literacy Framework.*
**OECD and the European Commission release the first global K–12 AI Literacy Framework: four domains, three pillars, and a formal role in PISA 2029.**
## Main source
This report draws on the OECD publication *Empowering Learners for the Age of AI: An AI Literacy Framework for Primary and Secondary Education*. The framework was released by the OECD together with the European Commission, with support from Code.org and international experts. It was formally approved by the OECD PISA Governing Board on 8 April 2026. A full list of sources appears at the end of this article.
## First, what is the OECD?
OECD stands for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Established in 1961 and headquartered in Paris, it currently has 38 member countries, including many major developed economies in Europe, North America, Japan, Korea, and Australia.
One of its best-known programmes is PISA, the Programme for International Student Assessment, held every three years. PISA assesses the reading, mathematics, and science capabilities of 15-year-old students around the world, and its results often influence national education policy. For this reason, the OECD’s views on education carry significant international weight. When it publishes a standard, education ministries across many countries often treat it as a direction worth watching in the years ahead.
In June 2026, the OECD and the European Commission released the first formal K–12 AI Literacy Framework: *Empowering Learners for the Age of AI*. The document is not mainly about teaching children to code. It asks a more fundamental question: now that AI has entered everyday life, what do children need to learn in order to stand firmly and move confidently through this new era?
It is especially important because this framework will inform the AI literacy component of the PISA 2029 media and AI literacy assessment. In other words, this is not simply a future-facing conversation. It is becoming part of the international learning landscape that students will soon encounter.
## What problem is this framework trying to solve?
At the beginning of the framework, the OECD identifies one of education’s most urgent challenges: AI has quietly entered everyday life, yet children are not always prepared to understand or navigate it.
> AI is driving one of the most profound technological and social transformations in human history. Education systems must equip young people to navigate and use AI responsibly, confidently, and with judgement.
>
> — Andreas Schleicher, Director for Education and Skills, OECD
The framework’s central argument is clear: AI literacy is not “being able to code,” and it is not simply “knowing how to use ChatGPT.” It is a combination of **knowledge, skills, and attitudes**. Learners need to understand how AI works, evaluate its outputs critically, and use it responsibly, ethically, and creatively.
The OECD and the European Commission define AI literacy as the technical knowledge, durable skills, and future-oriented attitudes needed to thrive in a world shaped by AI. It enables learners to participate in, create with, manage, and shape AI—while critically evaluating its benefits, risks, and ethical implications.
## The three pillars: knowledge, skills, and attitudes
The framework rests on three foundational pillars. Without these, the four domains that follow cannot become meaningful learning.
### 1. Knowledge
Learners need to understand what AI is, how it works, and how it affects society and the environment. This is more than operating a tool. It means asking why AI can make mistakes, why it may contain bias, and how it is trained.
### 2. Skills
Learners need to use AI to solve problems, communicate, and create. They should know how to use it with purpose—and how to assess its output critically rather than accepting every answer without question.
### 3. Attitudes
Learners need to develop curiosity, empathy, and responsibility in digital spaces. This is often overlooked, yet the OECD emphasises it strongly. AI literacy is not only a technical matter; it is also about how people relate to powerful tools.
> This comprehensive approach helps learners become critical, ethical, and adaptive users of AI—not passive consumers.
>
> — OECD / European Commission, AI Literacy Framework
## Four domains: from using AI to shaping it
Built upon the three pillars, the OECD sets out four domains that give educators concrete entry points for teaching. The sequence moves from using AI to shaping AI.
### Domain 1: Engage with AI
This is the foundational level. Learners should recognise when they are interacting with AI—for example, through YouTube recommendations, ChatGPT responses, or social-media feeds.
The key ability is awareness: knowing AI is operating in the background, understanding how it can influence what one sees, and recognising when it may be wrong.
### Domain 2: Create with AI
The next step is to use AI as a creative tool and a partner for solving problems. This does not mean giving AI a task and copying the result. It means treating AI as a co-designer.
Learners should be able to use AI for research, artistic work, and problem-solving while retaining their own judgement and choices.
### Domain 3: Manage AI
At a deeper level, learners need to decide when to use AI and when not to use it. The OECD places particular importance on this capacity.
The key abilities include evaluating risk, setting boundaries for use, protecting privacy and personal data, and judging whether an AI response is trustworthy. In the age of AI, learning when not to use AI is as important as learning how to use it.
### Domain 4: Shape AI
This is the highest level. Learners are not only users; they can participate in conversations about how AI should be designed, governed, and used for social good.
They should be able to reflect on AI’s social impact, take part in ethical discussion, and form their own views about the future of AI. This domain prepares children to be citizens, not only consumers.
## Why is this framework being released now?
The significance of this document becomes clearer when placed on its timeline.
| Date | Development |
|---|---|
| 2024 | OECD and the European Commission launched development of the AI Literacy Framework, joined by Code.org and experts from Canada, the United States, Uruguay, Germany, France, Croatia, and other countries. |
| 22 May 2025 | A draft was released for feedback from educators and policymakers worldwide. |
| January 2026 | OECD released *Digital Education Outlook 2026*, including the finding that general-purpose AI can contribute to metacognitive laziness. |
| 8 April 2026 | The OECD PISA Governing Board formally approved the framework and declassified it as an official document. |
| June 2026 | The final version was published by OECD Publishing in Paris. |
| 2029 | The framework will inform the PISA 2029 media and AI literacy assessment for 15-year-old students. |
This is more than a general recommendation. It is becoming a standard that will be used to assess students internationally. Countries, schools, teachers, and families all have reason to begin understanding it now.
## What does this mean for Taiwan?
Taiwan is not an OECD member, but OECD influence reaches well beyond its member countries. In Taiwan’s current context, several points are worth considering.
First, Taiwan’s Ministry of Education “AI Talent Ark” initiative moves in a similar direction. Its four capabilities—learning with AI, using AI responsibly, solving problems with AI, and developing capacities that AI cannot replace—align closely with the OECD’s movement from engaging and creating to managing and shaping AI. Both lead learners from being consumers toward being citizens.
Second, critical thinking and avoiding passive consumption are now global consensus points. The OECD repeatedly stresses that learners should be critical, ethical, and adaptive users rather than passive consumers. This is consistent with the direction reflected in Taiwan’s e-degree initiatives, Singapore’s SLS, the IB’s principles, and UNESCO guidance.
Third, attitudes are often overlooked but may be the most important pillar. Many discussions of AI education focus on knowledge—what to teach—and skills—how to use AI. The OECD includes attitudes alongside them: curiosity, empathy, and responsibility. This reminds us that education in the AI era is not only about teaching students what they can do. It is also about teaching what kind of people they can become.
## For everyone who cares about children’s future
The value of this OECD framework does not lie in claiming to be perfect. Its value lies in making AI literacy more concrete: something that can be taught, learned, and assessed.
More importantly, it tells us that AI literacy is much more than the ability to operate an AI tool. It is a full set of capacities: to engage, create, manage, and ultimately shape AI. It requires knowledge, skills, and attitudes.
For teachers, parents, and everyone in Taiwan who cares about children’s future, this framework is worth reading carefully. In three years, students around the world will be assessed against ideas shaped by these standards.
> The heart of AI literacy is not simply “knowing how to use AI.” It is learning when not to use AI.
When everyone is rushing to teach children how to use AI, the ability that may become most scarce—and most precious—is knowing when to close the screen and think with one’s own mind.
The OECD framework is the first learning map written for that capability.
## Full sources
1. OECD / European Commission, *Empowering Learners for the Age of AI: An AI Literacy Framework for Primary and Secondary Education* (June 2026). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1787/65cd27d4-en. Full text: https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/empowering-learners-for-the-age-of-ai_65cd27d4-en.html
2. AI Literacy Framework: https://ailiteracyframework.org/
3. OECD Education and Skills Today, “New AI Literacy Framework to Equip Youth in an Age of AI.”
4. European Education Area, “Empowering learners for the age of AI: draft AI literacy framework launch” (22 May 2025).
5. BABL AI, “OECD and European Commission Unveil Draft AI Literacy Framework for Schools.”
*Education Newsletter | Original briefing date: 24 June 2026 | Topic: OECD “Empowering Learners for the Age of AI” — a complete analysis of the AI Literacy Framework.*