MODELING THE INFLUENCE OF DIGITAL AND AI LITERACY ON GENERATIVE AI USE AND CAREER PERCEPTION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24903/obor.v8i1.4085Keywords:
Digital literacy, AI literacy, Generative AI, higher education, future career perceptionAbstract
The rapid diffusion of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is reshaping learning practices and students’ perceptions of future careers in higher education. This study examines the roles of digital literacy and AI literacy in influencing GenAI usage and future career perception among university students in Samarinda, Indonesia. A quantitative survey of 426 students from public and private universities was analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4.0. The results show that students have moderately high levels of digital literacy and AI literacy, while GenAI usage is widespread, particularly for text-based activities such as writing and editing. Digital literacy strongly influences AI literacy and GenAI usage but does not directly affect future career perception. In contrast, AI literacy is the main determinant of positive career perception and serves as a key mediator linking digital competence to future-oriented outcomes. The model explains approximately 39% of the variance in future career perception and 40% of the variance in AI literacy, indicating moderate explanatory power. These findings highlight the importance of structured AI literacy development in higher education to support responsible GenAI adoption and strengthen students’ readiness for an AI-driven labor market.
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