Tech and Humanity: Learn AI Now or Risk Becoming Functionally Illiterate Forever

By Folu Adebayo

A few months ago, I asked a group of professionals a simple question: “How many of you use artificial intelligence in your daily work?”

Only a few hands went up.

What surprised me was not the number. It was the realisation that many people still see AI as something distant, technical, or even optional. In reality, artificial intelligence is quietly becoming as essential as reading and writing.

There was a time when not being able to read or write meant being locked out of opportunity. People who were illiterate could not access education, could not understand contracts, and could not fully participate in society.

Today, something similar may be happening again.

A new kind of literacy is emerging, AI literacy.

I do not mean becoming a programmer or a machine learning scientist. I mean understanding what artificial intelligence is, how it works, and how to use it in everyday life and work.

Because the truth is simple: AI is quietly becoming part of everything we do.
And the gap between people who understand it and those who do not is growing very quickly.

AI Is No Longer a Future Technology

For many people, artificial intelligence still feels like something from science fiction robots, self-driving cars, futuristic laboratories.

But AI is already deeply embedded in our daily lives.

It recommends what we watch, helps doctors analyse medical scans, detects fraud in banks, supports research, and increasingly helps professionals write, analyse data, and solve problems faster.

In workplaces around the world, people are beginning to rely on AI tools to complete tasks that once took hours or even days.
Writers use it to refine ideas.

Developers use it to write code.

Analysts use it to explore complex datasets.
AI is not replacing human thinking.
Instead, it is amplifying it.

The People Who Learn It First Will Move Faster

One of the most striking things about AI is how dramatically it can multiply productivity.

Someone who understands how to use AI effectively can research faster, generate ideas faster, analyse information faster, and create solutions more efficiently.

It is almost like giving every professional a powerful assistant.

The difference is that this assistant can process vast amounts of information in seconds.

This creates a powerful advantage not because AI replaces people, but because people who use AI will outperform people who do not.

The New Form of Illiteracy

Throughout history, technological change has created new divides.

When reading became essential for participating in society, those who could not read were left behind.

The same pattern may repeat itself with artificial intelligence.

People who avoid learning about AI perhaps because it feels complicated or intimidating risk missing out on opportunities in the future workplace.

Many jobs are already beginning to expect some level of AI awareness.

Businesses want employees who can work smarter and faster.

Organisations want people who can adapt to new tools.

And increasingly, those tools are powered by artificial intelligence.

The Good News: Anyone Can Learn

The encouraging part of this story is that learning AI does not require years of technical study.

Most people do not need to build AI systems.
They simply need to understand how to work alongside them.

Learning how to ask the right questions.
Learning how to interpret AI-generated results.

Learning how to use AI to enhance creativity, productivity, and decision-making.

These are skills that anyone can develop.
And the earlier someone begins, the more comfortable they become with the technology.

A Choice Every Generation Faces

Every generation faces moments when the world changes quickly.

The printing press transformed knowledge.
Electricity transformed industry.

The internet transformed communication. Artificial intelligence is now transforming how humans think, create, and work.

The question is not whether AI will shape the future.

It already is.

The real question is whether people will choose to understand it or ignore it.

Because in the decades ahead, AI literacy may become as essential as reading and writing once were.

In the 19th century, people who could not read were excluded from opportunity.

In the 21st century, the same may be true for those who refuse to understand artificial intelligence.

The future will not belong to AI alone.

It will belong to the people who know how to use it.