LESSON PLAN; HOW WILL DEEPFAKES AND AI AFFECT THE 2024 ELECTION?

Lesson Plan: AI-Generated Media in Political Campaigns

Objectives:

  • Students will be able to identify AI-generated media.
  • Students will be able to evaluate the credibility of AI-generated media.
  • Students will be able to apply critical thinking skills to evaluate political media.

Introduction:

  • Begin by asking students what they know about AI-generated media.
  • Explain that AI-generated media is created using artificial intelligence, which is a type of technology that can learn and make decisions on its own.
  • AI-generated media can be used to create realistic images, videos, and audio recordings.
  • This technology is becoming increasingly sophisticated, and it is becoming more difficult to tell the difference between real and AI-generated media.

Identifying AI-generated media:

  • Look at the material and video below.
  • Look for other examples online.

Republicans’ anti-Biden advertisement made ‘entirely’ with AI

A challenge in political media in 2024 will certainly include how we navigate artificial intelligence. With new advancements in AI technology, a big concern is its use in social media and contribution to misinformation — it is rapidly evolving and easy to make convincing audio, images or text. A recent example is the fake AI-generated images of former president Donald Trump being arrested that circulated on social media. Source The Washington Post

Here are a few tips to help tell if an image is fake:

  1. Look at the hands. AI software has a history of generating human hands with too many fingers or other glitches.
  2. Is there garbled text? Look for “gibberish” writing on objects like street signs or billboards.
  3. Scan the background. AI-generated images may have blurry or distorted details, especially in the background.  Source: Shira Ovide

The Republican National Committee on Tuesday published its first attack advertisement in response to US President Joe Biden launching his re-election bid, featuring images and audio “built entirely” by artificial intelligence. The video shows a fake photo of Mr Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris celebrating an election win in November 2024 with a caption reading: “What if the weakest president we’ve ever had were re-elected?” It then shows images of a dystopian future — the collapse and closure of American banks, Taipei under attack, a flood of migrants crossing the US border and crime overwhelming San Francisco — under Mr Biden’s potential second term. Throughout the video, fake news reports can be heard describing the scenarios seen in the images. There is a small disclaimer in white text in a corner of the video, which reads: “Built entirely with AI imagery.” Source: Thenationalnews.

Evaluating the credibility of AI-generated media:

  • Once students have had a chance to identify AI-generated media, discuss with them how to evaluate the credibility of this type of media.
  • Some tips for evaluating the credibility of AI-generated media include:
    • Look for signs that the media has been manipulated. For example, AI-generated images may have blurry or distorted details, and AI-generated videos may have unnatural movements.
    • Check the source of the media. If the source is unknown or unreliable, it is more likely to be fake.
    • Use common sense. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Applying critical thinking skills:

  • Finally, discuss with students how to apply critical thinking skills to evaluate political media.
  • Political media is often designed to persuade people to vote for a certain candidate or support a certain cause.
  • It is important to be aware of the techniques that are used to persuade people and to be able to evaluate the credibility of the information that is presented.
  • Some tips for applying critical thinking skills to political media include:
    • Be aware of your own biases. Everyone has biases, and it is important to be aware of them so that you can avoid letting them influence your judgment.
    • Consider the source of the information. Is the source credible? Is there a reason why the source might be biased?
    • Look for evidence to support the claims that are being made. Is there any evidence that contradicts the claims?
    • Ask questions. If you don’t understand something, ask for clarification.

Conclusion:

  • Conclude the lesson by summarizing the key points that have been discussed. Share the findings here. Padlet
  • Emphasize the importance of being able to identify and evaluate AI-generated media, and to apply critical thinking skills to political media.

Assessment:

  • Write a campaign idea for a candidate with a plan on how to use AI.

I would love to hear from you

%d bloggers like this: