Summary
Your eyes can no longer be trusted to spot a fake photo or video. Explore how generative AI blurs the line between real and synthetic media, and learn practical techniques—like reverse image search and metadata checks—to trace where content actually came from.
Bellringer: Real or AI?
- Show the two paired images and give students 60-90 seconds to silently guess which is AI-generated
- Take a quick show of hands, then ask 1-2 students to explain their reasoning before revealing the answer
Instruction
- Define synthetic media and walk through its main types — altered images, deepfakes, synthetic voice
- Show the AI realism infographic and have four students each read a section aloud
- Introduce provenance, reverse image search, and metadata as detective tools
Discussion: Inspiration or Theft?
- Run a quick vote on whether AI is "inspired" like a human or taking work without permission
- Have students turn and talk with a partner, then call on 2-3 students representing opposite views
- Extend into the fun-vs-harm question about where the line sits for synthetic media
Activity: Synthetic Media Scavenger Hunt
- Post 6-8 mixed real/synthetic images around the room in stations
- Small groups rotate 1-2 minutes per station, recording clues and their real-or-fake guess
- Debrief as a class on which clues were most convincing
Wrap-Up & Assessment
- Why are our natural senses not enough to identify synthetic media anymore?
- Explain one way you can verify the origins of a piece of media.
| Est. Time | Activity | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 5 min | Bellringer: Real or AI? |
|
| 10 min | Instruction |
|
| 8 min | Discussion: Inspiration or Theft? |
|
| 15 min | Activity: Synthetic Media Scavenger Hunt |
|
| 7 min | Wrap-Up & Assessment |
|
Class Presentation
Includes an 18-slide deck with teacher notes. Present from Banzai, download a PDF, or copy it to Google Slides.
Presentations, Ready to Go
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- Copy to Google SlidesMake an editable copy for your class
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- Teacher NotesSlide-by-slide guidance, printable as one handout
AI Literacy
Confidently Wrong
AI sounds like an expert even when it's making things up. This lesson unpacks why AI hallucinations happen and gives students a simple two-step method to verify anything an AI model tells them.
Synthetic Media
Your eyes can no longer be trusted to spot a fake photo or video. Explore how generative AI blurs the line between real and synthetic media, and learn practical techniques—like reverse image search and metadata checks—to trace where content actually came from.
Bias In, Bias Out
An AI model can't know what it was never taught, and that gap becomes bias. This lesson unpacks how training data shapes AI answers and challenges students to rewrite prompts that fight stereotypes instead of reinforcing them.
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