Background:
Prof. Matti Tedre and University Researcher Henriikka Vartiainen delivered the keynote speech at the ITICSE conference in July 2023. The presentation's English title is: ”K-12 Computing Education for the AI Era: From Data Literacy to Data Agency”. Read more here: https://iticse.acm.org/2023/keynote-speakers-2/

Machine-translated (chatGPT) summary of the presentation:
The question of how to teach traditional rule-based programming has guided much of computing education research since the 1950s. In K-12 (school) contexts, a consensus has emerged over time regarding paradigmatic elements of computing education that assume the computer executes series of instructions guided by a sequence of commands. Within this framework, many researchers have focused on how to help learners develop an accurate mental model of what the computer does when executing a code snippet.

However, the traditional programming approach in computing education is insufficient for understanding and developing machine learning (ML) based technology. Machine learning has already enabled significant advances in automation, such as speech and image recognition, autonomous vehicles, deepfake videos, superior performance in board games and video games, and many other applications. Many of today's leading services and applications are based on data-driven approaches that differ significantly from the core paradigmatic assumptions of traditional programming.

Consequently, traditional views of computing education are increasingly challenged to account for the changes that artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) bring with them. This keynote presents early results from research investigating how to teach fundamental AI-related insights and techniques to 200 fourth to ninth grade students across 14 primary schools in Eastern Finland. It describes learning environments, tools, and pedagogical approaches, and reflects on the paradigmatic and conceptual changes required when transitioning from traditional programming to machine learning instruction in K-12 computing education. The speech addresses the mindset changes this transition requires and discusses challenges arising from the development of curricula, instructional technology, and learning environments. It also provides examples of how AI ethics concepts, such as algorithmic bias, privacy, misinformation, diversity, and accountability, can be integrated into machine learning instruction.

The speech addresses the relationship between different computing literacies and introduces the active concept of "data agency," which refers to people's willingness and ability to take informed actions that impact their digital world. It emphasizes not only understanding data (i.e., data literacy) but also active control and manipulation of data flows, as well as their ethical and wise use.