Can AI Bridge the Literacy Gap? Developing a GPT-4 Summarization Tool for Low Literacy

In the Netherlands, 2.5 million adults grapple with low literacy—a gap between integration and an increasingly information-dense
society. To address this, we have developed an innovative intervention using GPT-4, integrated within the user interface built via Streamlit, to summarize and simplify the complexity of official documents and everyday text. This paper outlines the design and anticipated functionality of our tool, which uses the summarization capabilities of GPT-4 to trans complicated language into concise, accessible content with clear action points and connect with related organizations. Six participants were invited to this study. We evaluate the tool’s impact on enhancingform the societal participation of adults lacking basic skills, proposing that such an application can empower low-literacy individuals and bridge the gap to an informed and equitable society.