What Primary-Age Children Know About AI and the Implications for AI Literacy Education in the Primary Phase

This paper reports preliminary findings from a mixed-methods collaborative research project involving teachers from nine primary schools in Sheffield, examining pupils’ prior knowledge and misconceptions about AI (years 2-6), and the impact of teaching a purpose-designed sequence of AI literacy lessons. Pre-intervention pupil voice data indicate that the majority of pupils hold limited or incorrect mental models of AI, with basic understanding of how AI works and its risks. Notably, use of generative AI tools at home is widespread and increasing. These findings suggest a significant gap between pupils’ practical exposure to AI and their conceptual understanding, with implications for curriculum design and the sequencing of AI literacy education in the primary phase.