Summary
AI sounds like an expert even when it's making things up. This lesson unpacks why AI hallucinations happen and gives students a simple two-step method to verify anything an AI model tells them.
Bellringer: Incredibly Smart and Shockingly Stupid
- Ask students about the smartest and dumbest things they've seen AI do or say
- Have students jot down or share examples with a partner
Instruction
- Define AI hallucination using the book report analogy
- Explain fluency vs. accuracy with the comparison slide
- Walk through real-world hallucination examples (lawyer, chatbot, journalists, glue-pizza joke)
- Teach the 2-step verification method
Discussion: Is AI Still Worth Using?
- Pose the question: if you have to verify anyway, what's the point of AI?
- Debate why a confident-sounding AI can be more dangerous than an unsure one
- Encourage students to share personal examples of trusting AI answers
Activity: What AI Knows Worksheet
- Students complete the What AI Knows worksheet individually or with a partner
- Circulate to check that students are applying the 2-step verification process
Wrap-Up & Assessment
- Define AI hallucination.
- How will you verify AI claims?
| Est. Time | Activity | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 5 min | Bellringer: Incredibly Smart and Shockingly Stupid |
|
| 10 min | Instruction |
|
| 10 min | Discussion: Is AI Still Worth Using? |
|
| 15 min | Activity: What AI Knows Worksheet |
|
| 5 min | Wrap-Up & Assessment |
|
Lesson Prep
What AI Knows
Students explore how AI works and potential risks.
Class Presentation
Includes a 19-slide deck with teacher notes. Present from Banzai, download a PDF, or copy it to Google Slides.
Presentations, Ready to Go
- Built-in PresentationPresent full screen, straight from Banzai
- Copy to Google SlidesMake an editable copy for your class
- Download or PrintSave as a PDF or print
- Teacher NotesSlide-by-slide guidance, printable as one handout
AI Literacy
What AI Actually Does
AI doesn't think—it predicts. Explore how machine learning uses pattern recognition and massive datasets to generate eerily convincing outputs, and why that's fundamentally different from human reasoning.
Confidently Wrong
AI sounds like an expert even when it's making things up. This lesson unpacks why AI hallucinations happen and gives students a simple two-step method to verify anything an AI model tells them.
Synthetic Media
Your eyes can no longer be trusted to spot a fake photo or video. Explore how generative AI blurs the line between real and synthetic media, and learn practical techniques—like reverse image search and metadata checks—to trace where content actually came from.
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