Abstract: At present, the academic community has not yet reached an agreement on the clear and unified definition of AI literacy. Some studies focus on a single dimension, while others fail to clearly distinguish its essential differences from information literacy and digital literacy, resulting in a lack of consistent  theoretical guidance in practice. Taking the evolution of literacy paradigms as the core thread, this paper sorts out the historical context of information literacy, digital literacy and AI literacy, and constructs a multidimensional comparative framework across six dimensions: core attributes, technical scenarios, subject roles, competency requirements, cognitive paradigms and ethical concerns. This framework addresses the existing research gaps, such as the blurred boundaries among the three literacies and the inadequate depiction of the humanmachine collaboration nature of AI literacy. By integrating the latest domestic and international research findings and policy documents, this paper proposes an innovative fourdimensional competency model for AI literacy, comprising cognition, skill, critical thinking and ethics, and elaborates on the hierarchical structure and typical manifestations of each dimension, thus providing an actionable theoretical framework for AI literacy educational practice.

Key words: AI literacy, Information literacy, Digital literacy, Literacy education, Humanmachine collaboration, Educational practice pathways