Kari McCoy, a California State University, Northridge (CSUN) Digital Equity Fellow and doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, presented original research at AI4 2026, the world’s largest artificial intelligence conference, attended by more than 12,000 AI leaders, researchers, executives, policymakers, and educators. Her presentation examined how AI literacy serves as a digital equity issue and shared findings from a pilot study exploring how structured AI literacy interventions can increase confidence, reduce fear, and promote active AI use among learners. Conducted through the CSUN Digital Equity Fellowship, McCoy’s qualitative pilot study examined continuation high school students. Participants initially expressed concerns about job displacement, privacy, misinformation, and a lack of confidence using AI tools. Following a two-stage intervention consisting of AI education and guided hands-on practice, participants demonstrated increased confidence, greater understanding of AI’s capabilities and limitations, and a shift from passive fear to active engagement with AI for career-related tasks. McCoy argued that AI literacy must become a foundational component of workforce development and educational equity, stating, “Organizations are deploying AI faster than they are preparing people.” The conference featured leading voices in artificial intelligence, including Geoffrey Hinton, Fei-Fei Li, Andrew Ng, Andrew Yang, and leaders from organizations such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and Boston Dynamics.