Two Robots and a Human – Fact vs Fiction

Curriculum Integration Statement / Values Statement

AI is becoming increasingly integrated into today’s media landscape. Helping students explore new AI tools for storytelling, design, and production will educate and prepare them for their future. When used thoughtfully, AI can speed up brainstorming, support research, and open the door to experimentation with visuals, audio, and interactive content. The goal isn’t to replace creative skill, but to give students another set of tools to enhance their ideas and prepare them for a media landscape where AI is already part of the workflow.

Setting the Context / Curriculum Integration Goals

This assignment will help provide a specific example of integrating AI into the curriculum, with Human Skills components attached. Students working together in groups discuss and research information they have been provided and critically think of the limitless possibilities that AI can create. It will allow for intellectual, creative stimulation & growth. Multiple pillars (Human Skills and Artificial Intelligence) naturally integrated into a single assignment will help further deepen Seneca’s Curriculum Integration goals.

Assessment Details

Title: Two Robots and a Human – Fact vs. Fiction

Deliverables/Objectives:

• Students will work collaboratively to critically evaluate three pieces of news to identify which news story was written by a human and which ones were AI-generated.
• Students will present their findings, rationale, and thought processes to the whole class.

Learning Objectives:

• Critically evaluate news coverage to distinguish between AI-generated content and authentic journalism.
• Develop analytical skills by identifying cues, inconsistencies, and hallmarks of AI-generated media across articles, videos, and photos.
• Collaborate in groups to discuss and document reasoning processes for identifying facts versus fiction.
• Reflect on the implications of generative AI in media, exploring ethical issues and the importance of media literacy in a technology-driven society.

Materials Required:

• Three news pieces (two AI-generated, one authentic), with links provided to students — can include articles, videos, or images.
• Internet-enabled devices (laptops, tablets, or smartphones) for research and group collaboration.
• Breakout group collaboration tools such as digital whiteboards (e.g., Miro, Padlet, Zoom, etc.) or shared documents (Google Docs).

Preamble: AI Literacy and AI-Generated Media

Before beginning this assignment, provide students with a brief overview of generative AI technologies, explaining how artificial intelligence can now produce highly realistic news articles, videos, and images that may be difficult to distinguish from authentic sources. Highlight the growing presence of AI-generated content in today’s media environment and emphasize why strong digital media literacy skills are increasingly essential in the digital age. Introduce the objectives of the lesson, underscoring the importance of critical thinking, source evaluation, and careful analysis when engaging with news and online information. Please feel free to use any of the Library/Sandbox content on AI Literacy if needed:

• Generative AI Guide
• Generative AI Video Tutorial
• Generative YouTube Shorts

Part 1: Breakout Group Analysis: Find the Human!

• Present the three news pieces to the class, ensuring students understand the assignment and are ready to access the materials on their devices.
• Divide students into small breakout groups and assign each group with the task of collaboratively analyzing the three news pieces.
• Prompt groups to discuss and document their reasoning in detail, noting specific evidence and their group’s decision-making process for each article.
• Encourage students to look for linguistic patterns, factual inconsistencies, image artifacts, and source of credibility as they assess each piece.
• Instruct groups to prepare a short summary of their findings and reasoning to share with the class; each group should choose one of the presented news stories as the human-written piece.

Part 2: Class-wide Discussion and Group Presentations

• Facilitate a whole-class session where each group presents their analysis, highlighting the reasoning and evidence behind their conclusions regarding which news pieces are AI-generated and which one was written by a human.
• Encourage active engagement by inviting questions, counterpoints, and reflections from other groups after each presentation.
• Summarize common themes, strategies, and challenges that emerged during the group analyses, reinforcing key media literacy concepts.

Part 3: Revealing the Truth

• Reveal the origins of each news piece, identifying which were AI-generated and which were authentic, and provide background on how each was created or sourced.
• Analyze the specific clues or features that distinguished the AI-generated content from authentic journalism, referencing student observations and expert analysis.
• Discuss the broader implications of generative AI in media, including ethical considerations, misinformation risks, and the evolving responsibilities of news consumers.
• Invite students to reflect on how their perceptions changed during the activity and what strategies they will use in the future to assess news credibility.

Summary

Presenting students with an opportunity to critically think and investigate the origins & context of articles and pieces of media will help ensure the authenticity of journalism in an everchanging landscape from Generative AI. Building skills to distinguish between what is user-generated content versus what is verifiable-content will build hope in our future.