Lesson video

Hello, my name's Mrs. James.

Welcome to computing.

I'm so pleased you decided to join me for the lesson today.

In today's lesson, you will be exploring AI influence and online behavior.

Welcome to today's lesson from the unit using AI and digital tools responsibly.

This lesson is called AI influence and online behavior.

And by the end of today's lesson, you will be able to describe how AI systems can influence opinions and choices and learn how to become a critical user of these systems.

Should we make a start?

In this lesson, we have three keywords.

The first keyword is digital footprint.

A digital footprint is a trail of data you leave behind you when you use the internet.

Echo chamber.

An echo chamber is a space online or offline where you are only exposed to similar content or opinions.

Critical user.

A critical user is a user who makes well-informed judgments about digital content and systems, questioning their reliability and whether any bias might be present before accepting them.

In this lesson, we have three sections.

The first section is called explain how AI systems personalize content.

The second section is called identify risks of online echo chambers.

And the third section is called use strategies to stay a critical user of AI.

Let's begin.

Everything you do online can be tracked.

When you use the internet, you leave a unique trail called a digital footprint.

This trail is personal to you.

Each application or website you use can use your digital footprint to build up a profile about you and your interests.

First question, true or false.

If two people search for the same topic on a social media app that uses an AI system to filter results, the app will always show them exactly the same results.

True or false?

Have a think and make a decision.

If you chose false, well done, you're correct.

Why, well an AI system produces different outputs based on data for each person based on their digital footprint.

Digital systems track your digital footprint, what you click on, how long you watch videos for, and what you engage with by collecting data.

AI systems then use this data to detect patterns in your behavior and personalize what you are shown.

The goal?

Well to keep you engaged by suggesting content that the AI system predicts you will be interested in.

Next question.

Which of these best describes how an AI music recommendation system suggests a new song for you?

A, a human programmer manually typed a list of songs just for you.

B, the AI system has feelings and knows what mood you're in.

Or C, the AI system analyzes your previous song choices to detect patterns and produces a prediction of what you might like.

Have a think.

If you chose C, well done, you got it right.

Okay, first task.

On a video sharing site, Sam has previously watched videos about console games, basketball, and skating board fails.

What type of videos might the AI recommendation algorithm suggest she watched next and why?

Take a few moments to think about this and then write an explanation.

Okay, let's look at some answers.

So here is an example student response.

The recommendation algorithm would analyze Sam's digital footprint, so the recommended videos might include a combination of her interests: console games, basket, and skateboard fails.

For example, videos about console games, about basketball, or basketball fails.

The website's AI recommendation system will also likely prioritize the most popular of these types of videos and ones that have been sponsored by advertisers.

How did you do?

If you've got any of those points in your answer, really well done.

Okay, we're onto the second section of this lesson now.

Identify risks of online echo chambers.

What is an echo chamber?

Well an echo chamber is a digital space where you're only exposed to opinions that match your own.

Filtered content like this can have a big impact on your personal opinions.

In an online platform, you might think you're in complete control of your feed, but platforms use AI systems to filter what you see.

And if you're only shown one side of a story, this creates an echo chamber.

This can influence your opinions and make it harder to see the whole story.

Okay, next question.

How can an echo chamber created through the use of an AI recommendation system influence a person's opinion?

Is it A, by showing them a wide variety of diverse viewpoints?

B, by turning off the internet when the person sees a post they disagree with.

Or C, by repeatedly showing content that reinforces what that person already believes.

Take a moment to think and then choose your answer.

If you chose C, then really well done.

You're correct.

The scenarios on the next slides describe context where the use of AI recommendation systems creates echo chambers, which can steer choices and potentially limit a person's worldview.

Scenario one, the new hobby loop.

The situation.

Leo has just started learning to play the guitar.

He watches two "Easy Guitar Riff" videos on a video sharing app.

The impact of the AI system?

Well the AI algorithm detects this pattern in Leo's data.

As a result, his feed becomes full of guitar tutorials and adverts for expensive guitar equipment.

The influence?

Well Leo stops seeing videos about his other interests like football and science, and he starts to think that everyone his age is very interested in guitars because he never sees anything else.

Critical thinking prompt.

How has the AI system limited Leo's view of what people his age are interested in?

Scenario two, only one side of the story.

The situation.

Maya is using social media to research a school debate on whether school uniforms should be banned.

She clicks on one video titled, "Five Reasons Uniforms Are Terrible.

" The impact of the AI system?

Well the AI system predicts that Maya wants to see more anti-uniform content.

To try to keep her engaged, the social media platform now only shows search results and suggested posts that support her initial click.

The influence?

Maya finds herself in an echo chamber.

She assumes that there are no good arguments for uniforms because the AI system has filtered them out.

Critical thinking prompt.

Is Maya in complete control of her research?

How might this biased data lead her to an unrepresentative conclusion?

Scenario three, the influencer rabbit hole.

The situation.

Sam follows a famous gamer who occasionally makes comments about what real men or real women should act like.

Sam likes one of these posts.

The impact of the AI system?

Well the AI system detects this engagement and begins recommending more extreme content from similar creators.

The influence?

Well over time, Sam's feed shifts from gaming to hostile messages about identity.

Sam starts using jargon from these videos in day-to-day conversations, not realizing the AI system is purposely feeding the shift to maximize his engagement.

Critical thinking prompt.

Why might AI systems recommend content that shows anger or more controversial views rather than content that shows more balanced views?

AI algorithms and commercial interests often shape the information we see without us realizing.

Commercial interests mean a business or organization's financial gain, profit, or business growth.

For example, an AI algorithm used on a platform may be designed to encourage users to spend more time on that platform, accessing advertisements and promotions.

A critical user should deliberately follow accounts that offer different perspectives to help make sure they have a balanced point of view.

Okay, next question.

Why might a personalized feed be a problem for a critical user?

Is it A, it makes it too easy to find new music?

Is it B, it can hide important information that contradicts the user's current views?

Or is it C, it requires too much battery power to run on a smartphone?

Take a moment and have a think.

If you said B, congratulations, you got it right.

Okay.

Next task.

Jacob is using a search engine to find information for a science project about whether space exploration is a waste of money.

He clicks on one article that argues we should spend the money on Earth instead.

The algorithm identifies this pattern in his data.

And for the rest of the evening, every recommended video and article Jacob sees is against space travel.

Okay, here are the questions.

One, how is the AI system using Jacob's data to produce recommendations?

Two, Jacob is now in an echo chamber.

What are the risks of this?

And three, what could Jacob do to find a more balanced set of information?

Take a moment and write your answers down.

Let's take a look at an example answer.

In answer to how is the AI system using Jacob's data to produce recommendations, the student has written the system uses an AI algorithm to identify patterns in Jacob's clicks.

It adjusts the output to suggest more anti-space content to keep him on the site.

In answer to number two, Jacob is now in an echo chamber, what are the risks of this, the student has written Jacob is in an echo chamber because he only sees one side of the story.

This limits his understanding because the filtered content hides different views, like how space travel can help us on earth.

And three, what could Jacob do to find a more balanced set of information, the student has written Jacob should deliberately search for different views to provide diverse data to the algorithm.

And he should check the credibility of his facts against reliable sources such as a science textbook.

How did you do?

If you got any of those points, really well done.

Okay, third section of the lesson.

Use strategies to stay a critical user of AI.

How to be a critical user of AI.

AI systems may seem intelligent, but they are tools developed by humans who control their design.

Use this checklist to become a critical user of these systems.

Number one, check your feed.

When you use a platform that uses an AI recommendation tool, regularly think is this platform showing me a balanced view, or am I in an echo chamber?

Number two, seek out variety.

Deliberately search for and follow different topics or creators to provide more diverse examples to the recommendation algorithm.

Okay, next question.

Which of these is an effective way for a critical user to reset a recommendation algorithm that's producing biased results?

A, only liking posts from one specific person.

B, deliberately engaging with a wide range of different perspectives and topics.

And C, making sure the up next queue only includes videos recommended by the AI algorithm.

Choose the most appropriate answer.

Okay, if you chose B, deliberately engaging with a wide range of different perspectives and topics, congratulations, you're correct.

Okay, going back to the checklist of strategies to stay a critical user of AI.

Number three is verify important facts.

If an output produced by an AI system or a post recommended by an AI system tells you something surprising, check it against a credible and reliable source that does not use AI, e.

g.

, a science textbook or a reliable news website or factual website.

Number four, question why am I being shown this.

Remember that recommendation algorithms are often designed to maximize your use of the platforms they are on to support those commercial interests.

And number five, use your judgment.

AI is merely a tool.

Always use your own judgment and emotions, which AI systems don't have, to make the final decisions.

Okay, next question.

You're using an AI chatbot to help with a geography project, and it outputs a very interesting fact that you've never heard of before.

What should you do?

A, use the fact in your project immediately because the output from an AI system proves it's a popular topic.

B, assume that the output is correct because the AI system was trained using more data than a human could ever read.

Or C, search for the fact on a reliable website and then decide for yourself if the information is trustworthy.

Take a few moments and consider these options and then pick the one you think is the most likely to be correct.

If you chose C, search for the fact on a reliable website and decide for yourself if the information is trustworthy, then well done.

You picked the correct answer.

Okay, welcome to the final task of this lesson.

Read the social media habits of the two students below.

They are both stuck in echo chambers and are not using the AI systems responsibly.

For each student, identify one mistake they are making and write one piece of advice using the critical user checklist.

Okay, student one says, "I love watching conspiracy theory videos.

The algorithm suggests new ones every day, and they all say the same thing, so they must be true.

I don't need to check other websites because the AI system has already filtered the best data for me.

" So identify a mistake that they're making and then give them some advice as a critical user.

The second student says, "I use an AI chatbot to write my history essays.

It gives me really surprising facts that my teacher has never mentioned.

I use them straight away because the AI system is much smarter than a human and was trained using millions of books to find that information.

" So same thing, identify the mistake they're making, it might be more than one, and give them at least one piece of advice as a critical user.

Okay, take a moment to think about that and write down what you think.

Okay, let's take a look at an example student response.

So for student one who likes watching conspiracy theory videos, one mistake is she thinks because all the videos say the same thing, they must be true.

Advice as a critical user would be she should deliberately search for diverse topics and different views to break out of her echo chamber.

Some good advice there.

And then for student two who's using an AI chatbot to write his history essays, well aside from it being dangerously close to plagiarism, a mistake that he is using is he's assuming that the outputs from the AI system are always correct and does not check the facts.

Advice as a critical user, he should be a critical user and verify the facts against a reliable source, like a history textbook.

Well if you wrote something along those lines or any other useful advice as a critical user, really well done.

Okay, well done.

You've reached the end of this lesson on AI influence and online behavior.

Let's have a look at a summary of the points.

Recommendation algorithms analyze your past actions like what you click, watch, or share to suggest content you are likely to be interested in.

These AI systems can create echo chambers by repeatedly showing you similar ideas which can limit your exposure to different viewpoints.

AI influence is often subtle, with platforms that use these AI systems using personalized feedback and notifications to encourage you to spend more time on a platform.

Being a critical user means questioning why a specific post was recommended to you and intentionally seeking out different information sources.

Well done for finishing this lesson.