How Do Machines Create?
Students investigate how generative AI creates new images and media, exploring creativity, deepfakes, and the ethics of machine-made content.
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- How Do Machines Create?
Age:
Approximate Total Time: 2 hours
Summary:
In this unit, middle school students are introduced to generative artificial intelligence—AI systems that create new content such as images, text, and sound. Through three engaging lessons, students distinguish between predictive AI and generative AI, experiment with hands-on activities that model how generative systems like GANs and diffusion models work, and critically analyze the societal and ethical implications of deepfake technology. By the end of the unit, students understand both the creative potential and the responsibilities that come with AI-generated media.
Lessons:
Lesson 1: What Is Generative AI? – Differentiate between AI that classifies or predicts and AI that generates new content. Students identify real-world examples and explore how AI learns to create.
Lesson 2: Generating Images with AI – Discover how AI generates images using methods inspired by Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) and diffusion models through simplified drawing activities.
Lesson 3: Deep Fakes – Examine the societal impact of deepfake technology, discuss its ethical implications, and propose responsible use practices for AI-generated media.