SK Explores Artificial Intelligence!

SK students have been learning about artificial intelligence by making connections with books, coding activities and different AI generators. 

SKers started to think about AI by reading books about different machines. We talked about how machines learn and made connections to the coding activities they have done throughout the SK year. We discussed how different machines/devices that have AI are able to learn from the information that is collected, and students made connections with having an Alexa or Google Hub at home. 

During the next session, we did an “experiment.” We introduced the Canva AI image generator and explained how a user can describe what they want the picture to look like and that AI machine learning would try and create it for the user.

Students brainstormed together and gave Canva AI the name of an animal, a piece of clothing and a type of food. We typed in the description of what we wanted the computer to make a picture of (for example, a lion wearing a necktie and eating an ice cream cone). In some cases, the AI was able to generate a great picture of what we were looking for; in other cases, the machine could not, and we had to give it a simpler idea or describe what we wanted in a different way. These activities showed students some of the ways AI can produce something we are looking for, but also that there are limitations with using AI.

During the next class, we read a book about imagination and used our imaginations to think up something that does not exist. Then we talked about the class making a nonexistent creature. We brainstormed what it might look like: its head, ears, eyes, what would it be wearing, etc. We collected one idea from each student about what the creature should look like. Then we used the AI program ChatGPT to input all of the descriptions of the creature. ChatGPT then produced an image. The first time, the creature was not exactly what the class wanted, so we added new descriptions and instructions to ChatGPT to help it make a cool new creature and mascot for each SK class. 

The final step in this project was to create a story about our new creatures that incorporated ideas from each student. Again, we went around the room, and each student offered a hobby, activity or something our creature likes to do. Then, we input all that data and the picture of our creature into ChatGPT and asked the machine to write a short story about our creature. 

Each student received a button and stickers with their class’s mascot so they had something to help them remember the project. To learn more about this project, see the wonderful mascot and read the stories students collaborated with AI to make, check out the project website: tinyurl.com/yfh9zbrj.