ABOUT COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS: Community Connections is a lesson collection designed for adult learners and community colleges, with the goal of inspiring student civic action. This might be respectful debate or conversation about a local issue, planning a community event, or a creative project that helps connect local, national and global issues.

To use this lesson: First, watch the video and answer the questions below as a warm up. Next, choose one or more of the activities under "Take Action" that best fits your classroom. Or, use the segment above to inspire your own original classroom activities — the spirit of these lessons is to connect current events to actions that make your community a better place for everyone!

SUMMARY

AI-generated political messaging and misinformation can quickly spread online. But, what is AI and why does it matter? AI and misinformation experts all agree that it is nearly impossible to spot AI-created text, so the best way to insulate yourself from believing and spreading false information online is to approach all content with some hesitancy — especially if it’s not from a trusted source.

WARM-UP QUESTIONS

1. What did X (formerly known as Twitter) remove from the site this past year?
2. How do "bot networks" generate misinformation?
3. Why do experts have little confidence in tools that identify AI?
4. How should visitors to social media sites avoid getting manipulated by AI misinformation, according to the experts in this segment?
5. Who is using AI as part of election and political strategies?

FOCUS QUESTIONS

1. What do you think will be the impact of AI on politics in the United States?
2. Do you think AI should be regulated in some way? What laws or rules might reduce misinformation? Or do you not think governments should have any role in assessing and regulating misinformation? Explain.

Media literacy: Where do you get your news about the world? Have you seen examples of AI images, text or video in those places?

TAKE ACTION

• How would you design an online tool or app that can prevent people from believing or spreading misinformation around elections? Use this activity to plan out your app.
• Is misinformation around election time legal? What about AI deepfakes that lead people to falsely believe a candidate did or said something? What about political ads run by a business or company that doesn't disclose who is paying for the ad? Discuss the first amendment and political advertising using this activity.

Listen to this podcast from Student Reporting Labs on AI and the 2024 election — how do you think AI is affecting voters' ideas and attitudes about politics today? How do you think AI will evolve as a political tool by 2028?

This project was funded under the 2024 Leonore Annenberg Civic Mission of the Nation Initiative, sponsored by the Leonore Annenberg Institute for Civics. LAIC is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania.

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