Encompassing AI attitudes: the role of AI literacy and several human and technology-oriented variables

The growing interest in artificial intelligence (AI) across various of academic disciplines underscores the need for a more nuanced understanding of the factors affecting attitudes towards AI. This study explored the relationship between AI literacy and attitudes toward AI, with a particular emphasis on the human and technology-oriented variables including demographic variables of age, gender, digital device usage, and academic roles at universities, on this relationship. The findings of this study, based on a total of 533 individuals from different universities in Türkiye, revealed significant associations. A positive attitude towards AI was found to be significantly linked with AI literacy, gender, and using laptops/PCs. Moreover, the influence of AI literacy level on fostering positive attitudes was notably high. These results, which indicate that 17.5% of the variation in positive attitudes can be explained by AI literacy, underscore the practical importance of AI literacy in shaping a positive attitude towards AI. They also emphasize the role of gender and digital device use in this relationship. Importantly, these findings provide actionable insights for educators and researchers, guiding them in their efforts to promote AI literacy and foster positive attitudes towards AI.