AI Ready: Building AI Literacy for Charles County

Graphic promoting "AI Ready Workshops & Classes" in black and white, featuring categories for kids, teens, and adults.

Artificial intelligence is becoming part of everyday life, from the apps we use and the information we encounter online to the tools we use for school, work, creativity, and communication. But understanding AI goes beyond knowing how to use a chatbot or generate an image. AI literacy means knowing what AI is, how it works, what it can and cannot do, how to evaluate AI-generated information, and how to use these tools safely, effectively, and responsibly.

That’s why Charles County Public Library is launching AI Ready, a new AI literacy program series designed to help our community navigate an increasingly AI-powered world.

Made possible through funding from the Maryland State Office of Broadband’s Digital Skills Training Grant Program, AI Ready provides free, accessible learning opportunities for people at different stages of life. The series is divided into three tracks, Kids & Families, Teens, and Adults, with each track designed around the needs, experiences, and questions of its audience.

Whether you are a parent wondering how AI will affect your child’s education, a teen encountering AI in school and online, or an adult who wants to better understand the technology changing the world around you, there’s an AI Ready program for you.

Why AI Literacy?

AI is already here, and it is changing quickly.

Children and teens are encountering AI in search engines, social media, games, creative tools, and schoolwork. Adults are seeing AI increasingly incorporated into workplaces, online services, communication tools, and everyday technology.

With so much changing so quickly, it can be difficult to know where to start. AI Ready is designed to make learning about artificial intelligence approachable, practical, and relevant. Participants will not need a technical background or previous experience with AI. Instead, the series focuses on building the knowledge and critical-thinking skills people need to make informed decisions about AI.

Across the three tracks, participants will explore topics including:

  • What artificial intelligence is and how it works
  • Where AI is already appearing in everyday life
  • How to interact with AI tools effectively
  • How AI-generated text, images, audio, and video are created
  • How to recognize AI-generated content and misinformation
  • How to use AI safely and responsibly
  • How to protect personal information and privacy
  • How AI can support learning, creativity, work, and everyday tasks
  • The limitations, challenges, and ethical questions surrounding AI

Three Tracks. One Goal: AI Ready.

Bold text reads "KIDS + FAMILIES" with a smiling robot graphic on the left side.

AI can seem complicated, but learning about it doesn’t have to be!

The five-part AI Ready Kids & Families series introduces children to artificial intelligence through fun, interactive, and age-appropriate activities. Families will explore what AI is, where they encounter it in everyday life, how AI learns from patterns and examples, and how to interact with AI safely.

Throughout the series, children will build curiosity and critical-thinking skills while learning to recognize AI-generated content and develop responsible technology habits they can use at home.

Each session stands on its own, so families can attend individual programs or participate in the entire series.

Topics include:

  • What is AI?
  • Where do we encounter AI?
  • How can we use AI safely?
  • How can we tell when something was created by AI?
  • Building responsible AI habits
Bold text reads "TEENS" with a smiling robot graphic on the left side.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing the digital tools, platforms, and media teens encounter every day. The six-part AI Ready Teens series gives teens practical AI literacy skills they can use in school, creative projects, online spaces, and everyday life.

Teens will explore how AI works, learn how to get more useful results from AI tools, experiment with AI-assisted content creation, identify AI-generated media and misinformation, and consider ways AI can support projects and entrepreneurship.

Each session stands alone while building toward a broader understanding of responsible and effective AI use.

Topics include:

  • What AI is and where it appears in teens’ digital lives
  • Getting better results from AI tools
  • AI-assisted creativity and content creation
  • Identifying AI-generated media and misinformation
  • Using AI for projects, entrepreneurship, and future opportunities
  • Applied AI Project Lab
Bold text reads "ADULTS" with a smiling robot graphic on the left side.

Whether you’re curious about AI, already experimenting with it, or still trying to figure out what all the hype is about, the AI Ready Adults series will help you build practical skills and confidence.

This six-part series takes a practical, approachable look at artificial intelligence and how it can be used in everyday life. Participants will learn the fundamentals of AI, explore useful applications, practice interacting with AI tools, and consider important questions about privacy, accuracy, misinformation, and responsible use.

The series includes both in-person and virtual sessions, making it easier for adults with different schedules and technology comfort levels to participate.

Topics include:

  • Understanding the basics of artificial intelligence
  • Exploring how AI can be useful in everyday life
  • Learning how to communicate effectively with AI tools
  • Evaluating AI-generated information and recognizing limitations
  • Using AI responsibly and protecting your privacy
  • Exploring practical applications of AI for work, learning, creativity, and everyday tasks

You don’t need to be an AI expert to become AI Ready.

Join us this fall and winter to explore artificial intelligence, ask questions, try new tools, and build the skills you need to navigate an increasingly AI-powered world.

All AI Ready programs are free and open to the public. Registration is required for individual sessions.

AI Ready Program Schedule

Explore the schedule below and find the AI Ready track that’s right for you!