This systematic review asks whether existing digital literacy frameworks have fallen behind AI and how AI is changing what those frameworks expect. Working from an ecological perspective, the authors compared the sub-dimensions of 80 validated frameworks, 69 on digital literacy and 11 on AI literacy, published from January 2014 to February 2025. They used DigComp 2.2 as a reference point for contrasting developing and developed regions.
- At the level of individuals, the frameworks expect educators to work as active partners with AI and to design assessments that hold up against AI use.
- Students are expected to learn with AI and use it in ethical, responsible ways.
- Developed regions put weight on integrative skills, with cultural norms and mental health among them, while developing regions stress operational skills of the kind AI can automate.
- Uncertainty over copyright in AI-generated content adds a further hurdle.
- Over time, AI has widened digital literacy from a focus on safety to include AI ethics, and has given higher-order thinking more weight.
- Communication and collaboration have been redefined to cover interaction between people and AI.
The authors conclude that AI has reshaped digital literacy frameworks. In their view, people need preparation for an AI-driven economy of the 21st century, and that preparation should stay sensitive to sociocultural differences between regions.
