When an algorithm decides which science we are presented with, and ChatGPT summarises it, understanding scientific concepts is no longer sufficient to take part in public debate.

Anabela Carvalho (CRIA, UMinho campus | IN2PAST), together with Sara Anjos (ICS-UMinho) and Pedro Russo (Leiden University), has published “Critical science literacy: key competencies for engaging with science in the digital age” in the International Journal of Science Education, Part B.

The article proposes a rethinking of scientific literacy in an environment shaped by platformisation and algorithmic mediation. The central argument is that generative artificial intelligence is not merely another communication channel — it represents an epistemological shift, altering the conditions under which science becomes visible, credible and actionable in everyday life. The dominant models of scientific literacy, centred on individual competences, fail to account for this.

In response, the authors develop Critical Scientific Literacy, structured around four dimensions: critical literacy in scientific contexts, multiliteracy and situated production of meaning, media literacy in science, and critical scientific agency. The capacity to act now includes knowing how to navigate, challenge and strategically utilise the constraints of platforms that determine who has a voice, reach and influence.

Open Access (CC BY) | DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/21548455.2026.2651918