What does it actually mean to be “AI literate”—and are we teaching the right things?

In this first episode of Beyond the Algorithm, Dawn Taylor is joined by Ben Garside, Senior Learning Manager for AI Literacy at the Raspberry Pi Foundation, to explore one of the most urgent questions in education today.

Together, they unpack:

• What AI literacy really is (and what it isn’t)
• Why understanding AI matters more than simply using it
• The risks of cognitive offloading—and how to respond
• How AI is already reshaping teaching, learning, and assessment
• The global challenge of access, equity, and representation in AI systems

Ben shares insights from the Raspberry Pi Foundation’s Experience AI programme, now reaching over 2.3 million students worldwide, and discusses how research, pedagogy, and real classroom practice are being brought together to build meaningful AI education.

This episode goes beyond tools and into thinking—exploring how we prepare students not just to use AI, but to understand it, question it, and engage with it critically.

Key themes: AI literacy | Education | Pedagogy | Assessment | Equity | Critical thinking

Music Credit:

Music: Bensound.com/royalty-free-music License code: CXJUKFZMNR3CYI4R Artist: : Benjamin Tissot

In this series, we speak with educators, school leaders, edtech teams, and others working with AI day to day — to understand what’s really happening in education.

We explore how AI is showing up in classrooms, leadership, systems, and assessment, how it’s evolving, and what that means for teaching and learning now and in the future.

This podcast isn’t about hype, fear, or pushing an agenda. It’s about clarity.

Each episode is designed to help you make sense of the changes happening around AI — and to think more carefully about what comes next for education, for learners, and for the people at the heart of it all.

Join us as we go beyond the algorithm.