Resources for Teachers - AI and Algorithms

Interacting with AI

In this lesson, students explore AI chatbots and their impact on human relationships. They compare chatbots to friends and learn how large language models function through pattern recognition rather than traditional programming. Through a “red-teaming” exercise, students identify risks such as privacy concerns and misinformation. Finally, they complete a “Build-a-bot” activity, designing safe, ethical prompts by defining roles, purposes, and guardrails. This teaches students to interact with AI critically and responsibly while understanding its limitations.

Online Relationships: Respect and Consent

In this lesson, students use mind maps to explore concepts of “respect” and “consent” in an online context. They consider a wide range of scenarios that shed light on different aspects of consent relating to digital media and draw on those to create a detailed definition. They then learn about the moral disengagement techniques or “sneaky excuses” that we sometimes use to let us do things we know are wrong, and identify them in short videos. Finally, students create a digital story in which they illustrate one of the aspects of consent or one of the “sneaky excuses.”

What is AI?

This guide provides an overview of what AI is – and in particular Generative AI – and gives two examples of main AI tools you are likely to encounter. Then it explains some key ethical and social issues related to Generative AI.

AI and algorithms - Overview

Artificial intelligence, or AI, uses computer algorithms trained on data sets to complete tasks with little human help. Children and teens interact with these systems daily through games, apps and content recommendations.

The AI industry

The AI industry encompasses both major technology companies that integrate algorithms into existing products and firms focused primarily on developing and deploying specialized AI services, primarily Large Language Models (LLMs) and generative tools.