In this episode of Conceptually Speaking, I explore the complex and contested terrain of AI literacy with Dr. Rachel Horst, a digital literacy and arts-based scholar whose framework for understanding entangled literacies offers a refreshing alternative to the polarized discourse surrounding artificial intelligence in education. Drawing from posthumanist theory and futures literacies scholarship, our conversation challenges both techno-optimistic and techno-pessimistic narratives while centering creativity, relationality, and critical inquiry in our approach to these emerging technologies.
The conversation highlights how educators can move beyond binary thinking about AI to create learning environments that are both critically engaged and experimentally open. Rachel's work demonstrates how posthumanist theory can inform practical approaches to AI literacy that honor complexity while remaining grounded in the realities of teaching and learning.
Key Concepts from the Episode:
Entangled AI Literacy
Moving beyond skills-based definitions toward messy, relational understandings of literacy
Understanding AI literacy as interconnected with: ecological, data, knowledge-construction, epistemic, disciplinary, political, relational, creative, futures, and algorithmic dimensions
Recognizing how AI reveals existing entanglements rather than creating entirely new problems
Embracing uncertainty and fluidity in defining what AI literacy means
Posthumanist Approaches
Using AI tools in playful, experimental, and "disobedient" ways that highlight glitches and limitations
Exploring how posthumanist thinking challenges human-centered perspectives on knowledge and agency
Understanding ourselves as always already entangled with technologies, environments, and other beings
Using AI interactions to examine the boundaries and fluidity of voice, identity, and authorship
Teaching With/Against/About AI
Creating space for diverse perspectives on AI rather than seeking consensus
Balancing critique with curiosity and experimentation
Supporting process-oriented, collaborative learning that uses AI to amplify rather than replace human creativity
Trusting students' innate desire to create and make meaning
Theory as Practice
Making philosophical and theoretical frameworks accessible and playful for educators
Recognizing that all teaching involves theory, whether we acknowledge it or not
Using AI tools to create rich digital artifacts for teaching and learning
Moving beyond compliance-driven approaches to embrace complexity and emergence
Rather than treating AI as either salvation or doom, this episode models an (admittedly fraught) third way: engaging with these tools as part of larger conversations about knowledge, creativity, relationality, and the future of education. The discussion emphasizes the importance of creating spaces where educators can explore their own AI literacy in "messy" ways while supporting students in developing critical and creative relationships with emerging technologies.
For educators seeking alternatives to both uncritical adoption and total refusal of AI tools, this conversation offers frameworks for thoughtful engagement that centers human agency while acknowledging our entangled relationships with technology, environment, and each other.
Connect with Rachel's Work:
