The Emergence of AI Literacy in Early Childhood Education: A Bibliometric Analysis and Future Research Agenda
A Nidha Eka Restuti Munawir

STAI ALGAZALI BULUKUMBA

Abstract

The advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) has been associated with a shift in literacy orientation in early childhood education from basic digital literacy toward more complex, ethical, and contextual AI literacy. This study was conducted to map global bibliometric trends on the emergence of AI literacy in early childhood pedagogies and to formulate a future research agenda relevant to the Indonesian context. Data were retrieved from the Scopus database using keywords related to artificial intelligence, literacy, pedagogy, and early childhood. A total of 428 documents published between 1988 and 2026 were analyzed using Bibliometrix/Biblioshiny and VOSviewer. The findings indicate an annual publication growth rate of 11.66%, with research contributions dominated by the United States, China, Hong Kong, and institutions with strong research capacity. Keyword analysis shows the dominance of themes such as artificial intelligence, teaching, machine learning, robotics, computational thinking, and early childhood education. However, the term AI literacy has not yet emerged as a dominant theme, suggesting that this field remains conceptually developing and not yet fully established. The co-occurrence network and thematic map further reveal a separation between technology-oriented clusters and child-development-oriented clusters. It is concluded that AI literacy in early childhood education should be developed in an integrated manner alongside basic digital literacy, while grounded in equitable access, child protection, and cultural values. In the Indonesian context, the fifth principle of Pancasila and local wisdom may serve as ethical foundations for developing AI literacy that is inclusive, human-centered, and developmentally appropriate for young children.

Keywords: AI literacy- early childhood education- bibliometrics- digital pedagogy- Pancasila- local wisdom.

Topic: AI for Learning