Joy Agwunobi

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping the global order, and according to a recent report by the World Economic Forum (WEF), the future of nations may depend less on how powerful their AI systems become and more on how literate their populations are in using them.

The report, titled “Three Vital Truths About AI Literacy That Will Define the Future,” highlights that AI literacy—the ability to understand, use, and critically engage with artificial intelligence—is fast becoming the defining factor in global competitiveness, civic participation, and national development.

WEF warns that while AI literacy is set to become as critical in the 21st century as reading and writing were in the 20th, countries are moving at vastly different speeds, creating a new form of global inequality.

China, the report notes, is leading the race by integrating AI fluency into early education, ensuring that children attain AI literacy even before reaching high school. In contrast, the United States is progressing unevenly, with varying policies across states and no unified standard for assessment. Finland has adopted a participatory model, South Korea has slowed after early momentum, and Canada’s efforts remain largely decentralised, driven by pilot programmes rather than a national framework.

This uneven progress, according to the Forum, is resulting in a “staggered starting line” — one that may define the global balance of talent and innovation for decades to come.

The Forum identifies the absence of consistent measurement as the most critical barrier to building AI literacy globally. Despite multiple frameworks developed by UNESCO, OECD, and aiEDU, there remains no shared metric to evaluate progress across countries, schools, or industries.

This lack of alignment, WEF explains, has led to three major consequences: a lack of comparability between nations, uncertainty around credential verification for employers, and limited scalability of successful programmes.

“Measurement is power. Those who prioritise a way to measure and develop AI literacy will gain a critical advantage in preparing their populations for the intelligent age,” the report noted.

The urgency is underscored by WEF’s recent prediction that 44 percent of workers’ skills will be disrupted by 2027, while the 2025 ETS Human Progress Report (HR Edition) reveals that 82 percent of HR leaders now prioritise AI literacy as a key competence for future employees.

The WEF argues that true AI readiness goes beyond technical know-how or the ability to prompt AI models effectively. Instead, it rests on three interdependent skill pillars: foundational skills (literacy, numeracy, and digital fluency), human-centric abilities (critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration), and adaptability—the capacity to evolve and apply AI responsibly amid rapid technological change.

“Technology may power the future,” the report notes, “but uniquely human skills will be needed to govern it.”

Perhaps the most pressing concern raised by the report is the compounding cost of inaction. WEF warns that nations delaying the integration of AI literacy into their education and workforce development systems risk being left permanently behind.

By 2030, countries lacking AI-ready workforces could find themselves exporting talent rather than innovation, as skilled professionals migrate to economies offering AI-driven opportunities. This “AI brain drain,” the Forum cautions, will deepen existing inequalities concentrating wealth and innovation in a handful of countries while leaving others trapped in low-skill, low-value economic cycles.

Beyond economics, the social and geopolitical implications are also severe. The Forum predicts that countries unable to equip their populations with AI literacy could face widening class divides, eroding social mobility, and diminished influence in global decision-making.

“Decision-making power in an AI-powered future will consolidate among nations whose populations can fully participate in AI-driven governance, innovation, and economic activity,” the report warns.

The WEF stresses that the global community does not need to start from scratch. Lessons from previous digital literacy initiatives can be adapted to assess deeper, real-world AI skills. The challenge, however, lies in establishing shared definitions and measurable outcomes.

Educational Testing Service (ETS), one of the organisations contributing to the report, has already begun addressing this gap internally through AIgnite,a company-wide programme designed to train employees in practical, job-relevant AI applications.

So far, 65 percent of ETS’s global staff have achieved AI literacy proficiency, with over 1,100 employees across 17 countries participating in the programme. ETS describes AIgnite not as an endpoint but as proof of what is possible when investment meets intentional learning design.

“With intentional investment and shared measures,the gap between technology and human readiness can be closed. The measure of a nation’s future will not be taken by the power of its algorithms alone, but by the literacy of its people,” the Forum said.