Downloadable Lesson Documents

• Student Handout
• Extension Activity
• Teacher Tips

Key Vocabulary

1. Deepfake – using artificial intelligence to swap someone's face with another or manipulate audio and make it look like they said or did something they didn't.

Before You Watch

This account that satirizes Keanu Reeves has fooled millions of people even though the profile has built-in clues that it is not the real Keanu. Identify two things that make this profile seem “LEGIT” and two that make it seem “NOT LEGIT”:

1. List two elements about this fake Keanu Reeves profile that make it seem “Legit”
2. List two elements about this fake Keanu Reeves profile seem “NOT Legit”

While You Watch

Preview the questions, then watch the MediaWise Teen-Fact Checking Network (TFCN) Video.

1. (1:10) “Deepfakes are synthetic media, a.k.a. ______________ content that is created using artificial intelligence. In deepfake videos, a person's face is ______________ with another to make it look like they said or did something they didn't.
2. (1:37-2:24) Deepfakes like the “unreal Keanu” TikTok account are for entertainment. What are some of the other positive and negative purposes deepfakes are used to (1) try on clothing _____________ on a website, (2) _______________ products, disinform, and/or _______________ or impersonate someone to misrepresent them.
3. (2:40-3:45) - List some of the red flags used to identify Keanu’s account as a deepfake.
4. Complete the questions to ask that can tip you off that a video or image is a deepfake: blotchy — character — eyes — teeth — hair

• Are the person's ______________ blinking or just totally still?
• Is the skin tone ______________ ?
• Does the ______________ appear not to move or seem too perfect to be true?
• Do the ______________ look weird or undefined?
• Is the person acting out of ______________ ?

After You Watch

1. How can deepfakes that are created just for fun or entertainment have negative consequences?
2. How could someone be harassed or harmed by deepfake technology?

Extension Activity

List the clues you see that help identify the video in this University of Washington deepfake of former President Obama. Then explain how a deepfake of this nature could be used in a positive or negative way. Answer the questions on the extension activity document.

Background Reading

• BBC – AI Tom Hanks used in a dental ad without his knowledge
• TikTok – Unreal Keanu Reeves account
• Business Insider – There’s a Terrifying Trend on the Internet that could be used to Ruin Your Reputation, and No one Knows How to Stop I
• University of Washington – Lip-syncing Obama: New Tools Turn Audio Clips into Realistic Video

About the Next Lesson

Be MediaWise Lesson 13: ChatGPT — Students will learn what ChatGPT is, how it works, and how to recognize AI-generated content.

Subjects

media literacy, social studies, language arts, journalism

Standards

Common Core ELA
CC.8.5.6-8; CC.8.5.9-10.A; CC.8.5.11-12.A - Citing informational text

College, Career, and Civic Life (C3)
D3.1.6-8. Gather relevant information from multiple sources while using the origin, authority, structure, context, and corroborative value of the sources to guide the selection.

D3.1.6-12. Gather relevant information from multiple sources representing a wide range of views while using the origin, authority, structure, context, and corroborative value of the sources to guide the selection.

ISTE
6-12.1.4.a Students: know and use a deliberate design process for generating ideas, testing theories, creating innovative artifacts or solving authentic problems.

Additional resources

• MediaWise “Is This Legit?” series
• How to combat political misinformation from PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs
• Fact-checking lesson for Student Journalists
• Misinformation Overload : Interviews from PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs
• StoryMaker Media Literacy Learning
• 10 tips to spot media misinformation
• Journalism in Action, a history of journalism in the U.S., including political satire, from PBS NewsHour Classroom

This lesson was developed by PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs in partnership with MediaWise and the Teen Fact-Checking Network, which are part of the Poynter Institute. This partnership has been made possible with support from Google.