Downloadable Lesson Documents

• Student Handout
• Extension Activity
• Teacher Tips

Key Vocabulary

1. Synthetic Image — An image that has been fully or partially created using computer-generated graphics, rather than being captured by a camera.
2. Synthetic Voice — Computer-generated speech, also called voice cloning, which is typically achieved with artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning.
3. Keyword Search — A word or a group of words an Internet user uses to perform a search in a search engine or search bar.

Before You Watch

Warm-up: How could you determine if a photo like the one of the Pope posted on social media is authentic?

What are some red flags that it may not be legitimate?

While You Watch

Preview the questions and then watch the MediaWise Teen-Fact Checking Network (TFCN) video. According to the video…

1. What two things does a computer need to create a cloned voice?
   1. "The _______________ you want it to say
   2. "A _______________ of the voice
2. Where can you find information to use in a long-tail keyword search to see if the user who posted it is a credible source? "…the _______________ , or any other tidbits from the user's _______________
3. What is the technique called when you use a search engine to find similar or identical images to find the original image?
   Lateral Reading — Reading Upstream — Reverse Image Search — Longtail Keyword Search
4. What examples of AI-generated voices or images are being used in a way that could spread misinformation?
5. List four ways you can fact-check AI-generated voice or imagery.
   • Do a _______________ search about the person who posted it (Lateral Reading)
   • Trace the image or audio back to its ______________ using an Internet keyword search (Upstream Reading)
   • Pay attention to _______________ in the voice or imagery
   • Use _______________ recognition tools to identify if it is AI generated

After You Watch

1. Listen to the first 1:08 of this AI voice narrating The Great Gatsby? Using what you learned in the lesson, what helps you identify it as a synthetic voice?
2. Listen to the clip of Leonardo DiCaprio’s voice being changed to sound like several famous people using voice cloning. How realistic are voice clones?
3. What are some ethical, social, or legal issues that could arise from using this technology for public posts on social media?
4. What could be some of the positive, ethical applications of voice cloning?

Extension Activity

Try it voice-changing using one of these basic open-source AI voice-changing websites:

• https://voicechanger.io/ (record or upload audio)
• https://voicegenerator.io/ (type in text)
• AI voice-changing website (record or upload audio)

Standards

• Common CoreCommon 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.
• ISTE6-12.1.4.a Students: know and use a deliberate design process for generating ideas, testing theories, creating innovative artifacts or solving authentic problems.

These lessons were 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.”