Frontiers of Co-Intelligence Education Forum - Faculty AI Literacy as Cognitive Risk Management

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly embedded in engineering education, shaping how problems are explained, solutions are generated, feedback is produced, and academic judgement is exercised. While many staff development initiatives focus on tool use, academic integrity, or policy compliance, these approaches often overlook how everyday interactions with AI subtly reconfigure cognition, agency, and professional judgement. This session introduces a risk‑ and empowerment‑informed approach to faculty AI literacy, reframing AI use in teaching and learning as a cognitive risk management challenge rather than a purely technical one. Drawing on Tri‑System Theory, socio‑technical perspectives on technology as practice, and the NIST AI Risk Management Framework, the session examines how routine AI interactions, such as summarisation, explanation, feedback generation, and code drafting, can function as cognitive risk events, influencing when and how human judgement is offloaded, surrendered, or preserved. The session presents a five‑literacy framework for faculty AI capability, encompassing system‑perception awareness, ethical and purpose‑aligned use, evaluation of AI outputs and cognitive routes, human‑centred pedagogy and agency, and domain‑specific governance. Using engineering‑relevant teaching and assessment scenarios, participants will explore practical strategies for engaging with AI critically and responsibly, supporting innovation while preserving learning quality, professional judgement, and human agency.