Artificial intelligence is forcing schools and teachers to ask all kinds of complex questions. What are the consequences if we blindly trust what AI tells us? What good or harm could come from the massive data collection that underpins the technology?
And perhaps most importantly: The things we invent to better our lives may actually be harming us.
The technology may be relatively new, but many of these important questions are not. In fact, science fiction writers have been investigating the question for decades, even centuries.
What makes science fiction a special tool To help students understand AI and its potential impact on society, teachers speak out.
Here are some of the texts that educators, from computer science teachers to English instructors, say help their students understand AI. (One, by the way, is a non-fiction memoir.)
AI 2041 by Kai Fu-Lee and Chen Qiufan
The ten short stories in this book are set in various cities around the world 20 years after the book was published in 2021, when most high school students are in their 30s. Most of them feature teenage characters. Each story is followed by a brief description of the skill being explored.
Teacher Take:
The author envisions a ‘reasonable future.’ [with] AI. “What will the life of this thing look like in 20 years?” said Andrew Smith, who teaches computer science at Woodstock High School in Woodstock, Vermont. The story explores issues such as data collection, privacy, and the biases in society that can be amplified by AI-based systems, all issues facing students and educators. The expanding use of AI in K-12 education and other sectors is attracting increasing scrutiny.
Read All Systems: Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells
This 2018 novel begins a best-selling series that now includes six other books. It tells the story of a violent AI-powered android finding meaning and forming relationships.
Teacher Take:
This novel is a great way to explore the intersection of social-emotional learning and technology.said Nicholas Bousquet, who teaches computer science at Plainfield High School in Central Village, Connecticut.
“Wells envisions a company owned by an anonymous company. [robot] He grapples with many of the same issues young adults face today, including mental health, social anxiety, morality and ethics in the corporate environment, and the almost irresistible allure of screen time as an escape from it all,” he said. said.
Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card)
This 1985 novel, which opens the series, explores the unique and terrifying role of children in a world where Earth is at war with alien races. This clearly parallels the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. Both countries see each other as enemies.
Teacher Take:
The story, which takes place in a dystopian and morally gray world, is a great springboard for discussing ethics, said Pam Amendola, an English teacher at Dawson County High School in Dawsonville, Georgia. She used this story to spark discussion around questions such as: “What is a moral compass?”
She links the social upheaval in the story to the technological changes in today's society, brought about in part by AI. “It gives them a moment of self-reflection and a moment to ask themselves, ‘Is this right?’ In the past, literature was like that. It provided a point of reflection on so many different topics.”
‘The First Sally, or the Electronic Bard of Trurl’ by Stanislaw Lem.
Published in 1965, this short story tells the story of an inventor who created a technological “bard” that could induce one to write poetry, more than half a century before the introduction of ChatGPT. It is worth noting that Google named its AI chatbot ‘Bard’.
Teacher Take:
“I love short stories, especially the ones you can find for free online,” said Matt Johnson, who teaches physics and artificial intelligence at Whitney High School in the ABC Unified School District in Southern California. I am a huge fan of Isaac Asimov and Stanislaw Lem. Because they have great ideas, but they write in accessible language and structure.”
Hao Jingfang's 'Folding Beijing'
Published in 2012, this Chinese novel is set in a futuristic Beijing where the population has grown dramatically. Automation has eliminated many jobs and put physical space at a premium. The lower class people take naps in the basement and wake up only at night to remove trash, most of which is made using technology used by the upper class.
Teacher Take:
This story looks at the physical waste that AI products create and how increased automation could displace many workers.
This gives students a glimpse into the potential environmental consequences of AI technology, said Jeremy Sell, an English teacher at Magnolia High School in the Union High School district of Anaheim, California. “We have all these cool devices and cool technology,” he said. “But what are the real-world implications?”
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
Shelley began writing this novel when she was 18 years old., not much older than most high school students. Published in 1818, this book tells the story of a scientist who brings life to inanimate objects, with devastating results.
Teacher Take:
This gothic classic may seem far removed from robots or large-scale language models, but its central theme is clearly relevant to conversations about AI.
“I think Frankenstein is a good place to start,” said Hale Durant, who worked as a high school librarian before becoming an implementation specialist at ai.EDU, a nonprofit that promotes AI literacy. “When humans try to create something intelligent, the intelligent thing usually doesn’t behave as expected.”
The Decoded Girl: A Scientist's Quest to Reclaim Humanity by Bringing Emotional Intelligence to Technology – Rana el Kaliouby
This 2020 memoir, which teachers say reads like a novel, tells the story of El Kaliouby's work at MIT focused on enabling machines to read human emotions.
Teacher Take:
Chad McGowan, who teaches computer science at Ashland High School in Ashland, Massachusetts, said the book grapples with “Middle Eastern women trying to break into tech.” “To hear about the struggle.”
The book also provides plenty of material for McGowan's students to explore key ethics and governance issues surrounding AI, as well as think about what informs their own principles, McGowan said.
NK Jemison's 'The Graduate'
This short story, published in 2012, tells the story of a teenage girl who is part of a society made up of the last remaining humans in a world dominated by artificial intelligence. Because of her success at school, she may be handed over to an AI-human hybrid system.
Teacher Take:
Bousquet said this was “a crowd favorite.” “‘The Graduate’ asks important questions about what teenage individuality, leadership, and resistance might look like in a near-future dystopia dominated by invasive technology.”
Bousquet added that LeVar Burton's “great” story read, available on Spotify, is “great.” [tool] “For students working to close literacy or learning gaps.”