A collage that merges circuit board patterns with textile motifs in a grid-like background of alternating black, grey, and white. Two hand-drawn arms are on each side of the image, positioned as if gently pulling on thin, white strings that cross the image diagonally. The hands appear soft and somewhat translucent, contrasting with the rigid lines of the circuit board patterns behind them.

Critical AI Literacy (CAIL)

The Critical AI Literacy (CAIL) project provides new scientific insights and innovative ways of thinking based on expert critical perspectives on AI in science and society.

Duration: 2024
Project member(s): Prof. I.J.E.I. van Rooij (Iris) Dr O. Guest (Olivia) Dr M. Suarez Estrada (Marcela) Dr M. Blokpoel (Mark) Prof. J.H.P. Kwisthout (Johan)
Project type: Research
Organisation: Artificial Intelligence, Donders Centre for Cognition, Computational Cognitive Science

In a world where Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being used to hollow out our public institutions, amplify social inequalities; aggravate climate change; spread misinformation; devalue the labour of artists; profit of the exploitation of workers; deskill legal, scientific, educational and medical professionals, critical AI literacy is urgently needed (Guest et al., 2025; Guest & van Rooij, 2025; Suarez et al., 2025). The Critical AI Literacy (CAIL) project provides new scientific insights and innovative ways of thinking based on expert critical perspectives on AI in science and society.

A fundamental realisation is that shared values and principles must guide us (e.g., scientific integrity, sustainability, diversity, digital sovereignty, and democracy). In this project we center human cognition, learn from the history of AI and foundations of computing, commit to values of equity and social justice, and uphold the integrity of academic research and education. CAIL fosters critical thinking that empowers students, academics, and professionals to develop ways of resisting or reclaiming AI in their own practices and social contexts.

Expertise

The CAIL project is led and coordinated by an interdisciplinary team with expertise spanning Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, Cognitive Science, Sociotechnical Studies, Political Science, Social Sciences and Humanities. Also expert collaborators from other fields (e.g. Logic, Computing and Science Education, Gender & Diversity Studies, and Communication and Language Studies) contribute on an ad hoc basis.

Research

Papers (selection)

van Rooij, I. & Guest, O. (2026). Combining Psychology with Artificial Intelligence: What could possibly go wrong? Forthcoming in Current Directions in Psychological Science.
Guest, O., Suarez, M., & van Rooij, I. (2025). Towards Critical Artificial Intelligence Literacies. Zenodo.
Guest, O., Suarez, M., Müller, B., van Meerkerk, E., Oude Groote Beverborg, A., de Haan, R., Reyes Elizondo, A., Blokpoel, M., Scharfenberg, N., Kleinherenbrink, A., Camerino, I., Woensdregt, M., Monett, D., Brown, J., Avraamidou, L., Alenda-Demoutiez, J., Hermans, F., & van Rooij, I. (2025). Against the Uncritical Adoption of 'AI' Technologies in Academia. Zenodo.
Guest, O. & Martin, A. E. (2025). A Metatheory of Classical and Modern Connectionism. Psychological Review.
Guest, O. & van Rooij, I. (2025). Critical Artificial Intelligence Literacy for Psychologists. PsyArXiv.
Guest, O. (2025). What Does 'Human-Centred AI' Mean? arXiv.
Forbes, S. H. & Guest, O. (2025). To Improve Literacy, Improve Equality in Education, Not Large Language Models. Cognitive Science.
van Rooij, I., Guest, O., Adolfi, F. G., de Haan, R., Kolokolova, A., & Rich, P. (2024). Reclaiming AI as a theoretical tool for cognitive science. Computational Brain & Behavior.
van der Gun, L. & Guest, O. (2024). Artificial Intelligence: Panacea or Non-intentional Dehumanisation?. Journal of Human-Technology Relations.
Guest, O. & Martin, A. E. (2023). On Logical Inference over Brains, Behaviour, and Artificial Neural Networks. Computational Brain & Behavior.
Erscoi, L., Kleinherenbrink, A., & Guest, O. (2023). Pygmalion Displacement: When Humanising AI Dehumanises Women. SocArXiv.
Birhane, A. & Guest, O. (2021). Towards Decolonising Computational Sciences. Women, Gender & Research.

Education

The School of Artificial Intelligence offers courses that help students, academics, and professionals develop their critical AI literacy. Among other things, these courses teach about 'what is AI?' in a way that demystifies and gives deeper insight into psychological, social, and environmental harms caused by the uncritical adoption of AI technologies. CAIL project members also teach about the foundations and history of 'AI' in its various guises and conceptualisations.

Courses

AI as Science (course manual, open access)
Critical Intersectional Theories for AI
Elementary AI (open to all RU students)
Sustainable AI (open to all RU students)

Summer Schools

Critical AI Literacies for Resisting and Reclaiming (June 2026)
Critical AI Literacy: Navigating Sustainability Challenges (June 2025)

Outreach

Below is a curated selection of our outreach activities across media, publications, and other public-facing channels. These materials highlight how we share our research with a broader audience.

Media