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Whose Face Belongs Here? Navigating Race in the World of AI

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By Jim Betz

I was thrown a curveball recently when I tried a brand new lesson with a second-grade class that involved AI. The general idea of the lesson involved groups of kids devising a basic outline for a tall tale, then entering it into ChatGPT to generate a story on a second-grade reading level.

As a demonstration, I modelled developing a character for such a tale, and on a whim chose to base the character on myself: the story of a librarian who could shelve books at lightning speed. We were pleased with the results, and asked ChatGPT to create an illustration for the story.

The second graders, having little or no experience with AI, didn’t know what to expect, but a few expressed surprise when the illustration showed a character that was of a different race than myself. When several students tried to point out that the illustration didn’t accurately reflect me, I explained that I was merely using my name and job as a model for the character; it was never meant to represent me directly.

Not a big deal, and the class proceeded normally after. But the fact that programs like ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini can create illustrations involving people does raise a few questions for those teachers who wish to integrate them into their daily lessons—and may lead to discussions on topics we aren’t used to bringing up in class.

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Jim Betz is a media specialist working at a primary (K–2) school in Georgia. He previously taught art and computer science, but loves being in the library because it lets him use art and technology in creative ways with the kids.

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Jim Betz
Jim Betz
Jim Betz is a media specialist working at a primary (K–2) school in Georgia. He previously taught art and computer science, but loves being in the library because it lets him use art and technology in creative ways with the kids.

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