How to Teach AI Literacy: An Outline

Are you ~~teaching~~ facilitating a workshop on AI literacy? Here’s a very rough outline for a workshop to help you decide on content and structure your lesson—though you may have to flesh it out a bit. Please do note that the repetitive language represents the use of a recognized pedagogical tactic within the field of AI literacy; feel free to expand it as necessary.

Introduction

AI is everywhere. Isn’t that neat and quaint and striking and another noncommittal adjective? AI is also complex. There are many opportunities and risks associated with AI and AI is very powerful. It is a tool — in some ways good and in some ways bad. So it’s neutral. We are also neutral: I am not here to tell you whether or not you should use it, but you should use it you should use it you should use it responsibly. There are many perspectives to consider. But you should use it responsibly.

By the end of this workshop, you should be able to do the following:

Articulate all the game-changing, life-changing things AI can do and also some of the things it can’t do, technologically-speaking
Articulate (in your own words) the fact that AI is already everywhere so you need to use it you need to use it proactively because it’s just a part of life that you should accept
Where applicable, think critically about the impacts of your AI use, including the technically possible risks that it might not produce accurate results, that it might be biased, that some of it might not be great for the environment, and that’s about it
Articulate personal responsibility for any of the ~~negative aspects~~ risks that do materialize, which will do so only if you personally choose to use it irresponsibly
Integrate it into your life, leveraging its massive capacities to improve your efficiency as a labourer and, if you have time, talk about some of the issues to some people
Using your chest voice, articulate to others that you are a proactive (but responsible) AI user and that you will support their journeys toward this destination too

AI is All Around Us!

Let’s start by recognizing that AI is everywhere AI is everywhere AI is everywhere AI will be everywhere for some reason AI is everywhere. It is the present and also it is the future. It is everywhere, so you should be prepared because, as mentioned earlier, AI is powerful. Look at all these areas of life in which the AI is making a ~~positive~~ significant impact:

Business
Medicine
Arts
Business
Agriculture
Business
Other science
The business of medicine
Business

Notice that this sounds like some of the subjects you and your friends may be studying or planning to study. ~~You want a job, don’t you? You want to be able to afford food and, like, a house and stuff, right? That’s why we’re all here, right?~~ Career readiness is essential in this ever-more connected world, but education is about more than jobs and if you use AI use AI use AI use AI use AI responsibly, you can make a significant impact too!

Understanding AI

To start things off, here’s a mildly amusing but non-controversial GIF at which you should politely laugh a little [insert an amusing but non-controversial GIF of your choosing]

It’s important that we understand the technology we’re using because remember it’s a tool so we need to prioritize discussions of how this tool works at a technical level because this is about technology first and foremost. I imagine everyone here has used ChatGPT? I don’t have time for a poll and discussion to dig deeper, but somebody else did a poll that tells us that everyone is using ChatGPT, so we can assume that we have all used it. Incidentally, there’s a sale on premium memberships of this other new tool and you can use our school’s discount code to get the premium version which is way more effective. Not telling you to use it, though, but you already do, so there’s that.

Anyway, ChatGPT is just one type of AI–generative AI. Here’s a brief (10-30 minute) overview of various different types of AI and all their technological components and all the places you are likely already using AI when you don’t even know you are! That’s right: you’re ALREADY USING AI, you silly thing!

[Play video supplied by industry partners]

So you see AI is everywhere AI is everywhere AI is everywhere already and it’s complex. But still, from this point on, I am going to be conflating generative AI with the other kinds by just calling it all AI. Just for the sake of ease and for other reasons that we need not get into.

How to Use AI Properly and Ethically and Responsibly (a.k.a Critically)

Now that you understand that AI is a technology and emphatically just a tool that has suddenly appeared but has also always been here, we can start looking at how to use it appropriately and responsibly. Again, we are neutral. We are not here to tell you whether or not to use it. We just want you to be literate which means using it properly and responsibly. It’s up to you to decide how to use it and maybe whether to use it. But mostly how to use it.

In a moment, we will do some extensive hands-on work that will show you how can use it effectively how you can use it you can use it you should use it you can use it you should use it you should use it you should use it.

Ethical Risks and Limitations

But before we do, let’s talk about the ethical complexity of AI. There are many risks and limitations to AI. These are things we should consider briefly. Here is a bullet point list of these limitations, which are basically also technological limitations because AI is a tool [include a brief top-level list of items like bias, environmental impact, and maybe one other one; do not get too preachy here]:

Bias
Environmental impact

But AI can also help solve these problems in some vague way on some unspecified timeline, so it kind of all balances out. [pause for effect]

Aaaaaaaanyways, these are just some things you should vaguely consider when you use it use it you can use it you can use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it.

Other Technological Risks and Limitations

You should also be aware that AI has technological shortcomings. Like sometimes it just MAKES THINGS UP!!! Here’s a hilarious and noncontroversial story. It is about a stupid, lazy lawyer having his unprofessional use of ChatGPT exposed and it supports the point I just made about technological limitations, but mostly just makes us feel like we aren’t that stupid and lazy. [Share story that meets this description] Now, isn’t that quaint and mildly amusing? It just MAKES THINGS UP!!!!

Best Practices in Responsible AI Use

There is also the risk that you use it improperly. What I’m trying to say is that we’re not here to tell you how to use it, so if you use it for the wrong reasons and in the wrong way, then that’s on you and not on us or on the tool, which is indeed just a tool. Our job is to educate you.

Here are some ways that AI can be used for the wrong reason:

Cheating and thereby not taking personal responsibility
Getting AI to do your work for you in other, equally wrong ways. An example of something that would be wrong would be if you generated an entire piece of actual visual art instead of using your time and resources to learn how to do at least part of it yourself. Please note, though, that image generation is fine when it’s not for high art, but for some practical reason, like adding a bit of flair to a report for your job or a slide deck for a school presentation or making a flyer for a house party.
Using it when you don’t need to and thereby, as an individual, irresponsibly furthering climate change
Being antisocial and staying in your “filter bubble” and thus remaining biased

So you see, there are some risks, but as long as you personally choose to use AI use AI use AI use AI responsibly, you’ll be fine. Remember it’s a tool, so it’s up to you to use it for good. It’s kind of like littering: if each person who littered chose instead to do the right thing and placed their waste in the technology that is the appropriate receptacle, those individuals wouldn’t be ruining it for the rest of us and we could save the planet.

In case that analogy made less-than-optimal sense, here’s another one: responsible AI use is like responsible car use. Everyone needs a car; they give you freedom and power. But if you choose to drive to your friend’s house when you could technically have walked, or if you buy a gas-powered car instead of an EV (like a Tesla), then you are making climate change be a problem for longer.

Since I’m using thoughtful, accessible pedagogy based on multiple points of comprehension, here’s one more analogy: using AI is like using your brain to choose who to hang out with and what to do. If you use the “tool” of your brain to hang out with deviants and closed-minded individuals (like racists and antifa) and get all preachy and foment unrest, then you are using your brain wrong and making the world worse. But if you use your brain responsibly to hang out with normal people and leverage the rock-solid norms of our Western liberal democracy to create a marketplace of ideas in which informed citizens–individuals and industry partners alike–can exchange ideas in a civil manner and listen to all points of view equally within in a safe environment with no name-calling and finger-pointing, then that’s you using your brain responsibly!

This latter analogy is especially apt because, as I suggested before, AI can actually help you do this responsible brain thing! Basically, the more you use AI use AI use AI use AI use AI use AI use AI use AI use AI responsibly, the more it can help you be an informed citizen in our liberal democracy.

Ultimately, the best way to use AI is to treat it like a junior collaborator. Where such collaborations are healthy, we treat our junior colleagues ethically. We seek to understand and ultimately accept their flaws, offering constructive criticism instead of dismissal and rejection. In this and other ways, we focus energy on supporting their growth, on the expansion of their capacity. We dedicate time and resources (financial and otherwise) to nurturing the relationship. We indeed show them that we value them by giving them our time. This is why both words in the phrase “responsible use” are important. Yes, be ethical and yes, use AI use AI.

[demo/hands-on work] All the Amazing Practical Things You Can Use AI for in your Learning Journey

Anyway, it’s not all gloom and doom. Let’s lighten the mood a bit by looking at this additional mildly amusing but non-controversial GIF. [Insert another GIF that meets this description] Again, feel free to chuckle a little because you want to seem supportive.

Now, let’s get practical! For the remaining 4 hours–don’t worry, we’ll take breaks!–we’ll be looking at how to use a variety of AI methods and tools to drastically improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your research, writing, and other academic activities. We’ll see examples of how others are achieving this already and you’ll get to do hands-on work.

Please open up your laptops and navigate to the following links, which take you to trustworthy AI tools. You probably don’t know this, but the library has bought an institutional subscription to premium versions of these tools through a special agreement with our industry partners. This only cost us $12 million, which may sound like a lot, but it’s an important priority. [Show participants how to navigate to each tool to which your institution subscribes*]. Now remember: you only have access to these far-superior premium subscriptions while you are a student. That said, most tech executives have observed in an unbiased manner that it would be a wise investment to pay for premium access after you graduate because that will help you be more effective as a responsible and informed AI user. I’m not here to promote these tools, though–just sharing an observation.

Let’s take a look at how to use this powerful collection of AI tools use this powerful collection of AI tools use this powerful collection of AI tools use this powerful collection of AI tools:

[Using the structure below, allocate 1 hour each to demonstrate the research and writing tools respectively, and 45 minutes to demonstrate the other learning tools]

Look at all the amazing things this specific tool can do! You should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it you should use it.

Here’s a small downside to this tool and here’s how it compares to the other ones I’ve mentioned …. but still, look at all the amazing things this tool can do! You should use it. At least give it a try.

On that note, take the next 15 minutes to try out the methods that I’ve demonstrated using a topic or task that’s relevant to you. And don’t get discouraged: you probably won’t be able to use these tools with expert efficiency right away. But the more you integrate them into your work, the better you’ll be able to use them use them use them use them.

Now, it would be a little biased of me to not mention this other set of tools that can also be very very very helpful, but to which we don’t have institutional subscriptions. But I bought my own premium subscription to each one, so, as an authority on this subject–that is, as someone whose actions you should emulate because I wouldn’t be teaching this workshop if I was not trustworthy–let me show you how I have used them responsibly to make my own research and writing really, really, really efficient and effective. So, for me, it’s been worth the $100 or so–that’s for all the tools–that I spend on my subscriptions. Again, I’m not here to promote these tools–just sharing my own experience. You don’t have to use these tools use these tools use these tools use these tools use these tools. I’m sure you can find other ways to optimize your academic work to the same level of efficiency and effectiveness.

[*If your institution has not yet purchased any premium subscriptions for it users, use the existence of this workshop to make the case that they do so immediately]

Quiz/Wrap-Up

Okay, we’re almost done. Before we go, I’m going to test your knowledge with a tiny little quiz. Please navigate to the following link: https://bit.ly/AILITERATE And I’ll give you a hint: if the answer you select doesn’t involve using AI and using it ethically, then it’s not the right answer!

Questions? [For questions related to the broader social, political, and economic dimensions, dynamics and contexts of AI and the companies and other organizations affiliated with it, tell participants that these are tricky questions that are beyond the scope of the workshop because they would take too long to answer properly; note that the library has been working on a dedicated “Other issues in AI” guide, which should be ready within the academic year and commit to sending them the link if they write their emails down on this sheet of scrap paper]

Okay, thanks for your participation. If you have any other questions or need support integrating these tools into your learning, don’t hesitate to talk to any one of our seven AI literacy librarians and eight AI learning specialists.

Also, I also wanted to announce that the library will be hosting an opening for the new 2nd-floor exhibition of art created by our institution’s AI artist-in-residence, Samthielodei. The artist isn’t AI, though, lol. She just uses AI a medium. Fascinating, cutting-edge stuff. Here’s an example of her work!

Many thanks to Janna Avon and another fellow educator for the deep pedagogical insights they shared as feedback on this outline.