Expanding AI Literacy: How Emotional Intelligence Supports Productive Uncertainty

Tara Patterson, J. Owen Matson
Proceedings of the The 39th Canadian Conference on Artificial Intelligence, PMLR 318:779-787, 2026.

Abstract

This paper presents a conceptual framework for understanding the role of uncertainty in the context of LLM usage in education. We argue that AI does not eliminate uncertainty but displaces it, often reducing epistemic uncertainty while amplifying its metacognitive and emotional forms. Throughout the paper, we use hypothetical examples to illustrate the theoretical concepts discussed, although these examples are not meant to provide a predictive account of student outcomes. Finally, we present emotional intelligence skills as a vital but often-overlooked component of AI literacy, helping students recognize the uncertainty that arises in co-creation with LLMs not as a cause for unproductive anxiety, but as a catalyst for creativity.

Cite this Paper

BibTeX
@InProceedings{pmlr-v318-patterson26a, title = {Expanding AI Literacy: How Emotional Intelligence Supports Productive Uncertainty}, author = {Patterson, Tara and Matson, J. Owen}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the The 39th Canadian Conference on Artificial Intelligence}, pages = {779--787}, year = {2026}, editor = {Bouzar-Benlabiod, Lydia and Leung, Carson}, volume = {318}, series = {Proceedings of Machine Learning Research}, month = {25--29 May}, publisher = {PMLR}, pdf = {https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mlresearch/v318/main/assets/patterson26a/patterson26a.pdf}, url = {https://proceedings.mlr.press/v318/patterson26a.html}, abstract = {This paper presents a conceptual framework for understanding the role of uncertainty in the context of LLM usage in education. We argue that AI does not eliminate uncertainty but displaces it, often reducing epistemic uncertainty while amplifying its metacognitive and emotional forms. Throughout the paper, we use hypothetical examples to illustrate the theoretical concepts discussed, although these examples are not meant to provide a predictive account of student outcomes. Finally, we present emotional intelligence skills as a vital but often-overlooked component of AI literacy, helping students recognize the uncertainty that arises in co-creation with LLMs not as a cause for unproductive anxiety, but as a catalyst for creativity.} }
Endnote
%0 Conference Paper %T Expanding AI Literacy: How Emotional Intelligence Supports Productive Uncertainty %A Tara Patterson %A J. Owen Matson %B Proceedings of the The 39th Canadian Conference on Artificial Intelligence %C Proceedings of Machine Learning Research %D 2026 %E Lydia Bouzar-Benlabiod %E Carson Leung %F pmlr-v318-patterson26a %I PMLR %P 779--787 %U https://proceedings.mlr.press/v318/patterson26a.html %V 318 %X This paper presents a conceptual framework for understanding the role of uncertainty in the context of LLM usage in education. We argue that AI does not eliminate uncertainty but displaces it, often reducing epistemic uncertainty while amplifying its metacognitive and emotional forms. Throughout the paper, we use hypothetical examples to illustrate the theoretical concepts discussed, although these examples are not meant to provide a predictive account of student outcomes. Finally, we present emotional intelligence skills as a vital but often-overlooked component of AI literacy, helping students recognize the uncertainty that arises in co-creation with LLMs not as a cause for unproductive anxiety, but as a catalyst for creativity.
APA
Patterson, T. & Matson, J.O.. (2026). Expanding AI Literacy: How Emotional Intelligence Supports Productive Uncertainty. Proceedings of the The 39th Canadian Conference on Artificial Intelligence, in Proceedings of Machine Learning Research 318:779-787 Available from https://proceedings.mlr.press/v318/patterson26a.html.

Related Material