AI chatbots and image generation models possess the remarkable ability to create digital content at a pace far surpassing human capabilities. However, AI models can also generate fabricated or deceptive materials. In this lesson, students are asked to consider: How can AI models be used to generate false information? How can AI-generated fakes be detected?

Studies consistently show that students are using AI chatbots and search engines like ChatGPT and Perplexity. But we know that AI makes mistakes. So, how do we teach students not to get fooled? In this lesson, we’ll introduce students to the skill of lateral reading (Wineburg & McGrew, 2017) as one approach to fact-checking the information they get from AI.

In this lesson, students will consider ethical dilemmas raised by the increasing use of AI in warfare. After listening to a podcast from the New York Times The Daily, about Ukraine’s use of emerging AI technologies in their war against Russia, students will develop their own positions about the ethics of AI warfare through discussion with peers.

This lesson explores the impact of biased data on AI systems with a focus on the Global South. Students will learn how biased data leads to biased results since AI reflects the data it is trained on. In particular, students will focus on the impact of this on countries that are generally less industrialized and have lower income levels than developed nations in the Global North.