AI Accountability Classroom Toolkits

Introducing the Resource: What are the AI Accountability Toolkits?

To fully understand Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies we must understand their impacts. The impact of AI technologies is a global issue often intersecting with other systemic issues like racial justice, global health, and climate. The Pulitzer Center's Information and Artificial Intelligence (AI) initiatives support journalism and audience engagement on in-depth AI accountability stories that examine governments' and corporations’ uses of AI technologies to guide decisions in policing, medicine, social welfare, the criminal justice system, hiring, and more.

Educators and students make up a critical audience for AI journalism. As more of these systems are deployed in schools and communities, educators are grappling with questions about if and how to teach about them and whether student and teacher use should be regulated. The AI Accountability Classroom Toolkits are designed to support classroom engagement with AI journalism by providing background information and key concepts for better understanding AI and its societal impacts. The resources also introduce educators and students to Pulitzer Center reporting on Information and Artificial Intelligence which can support educators in teaching more effectively about AI in the classroom.

Key Concepts for Educators

Educators will be able to...

• Understand the ways some AI technologies utilize digital data and content and the implications for their students.
• Understand and distinguish between the different types of AI.
• Identify key highlights in the history and evolution of AI technologies.
• Understand and contextualize patterns of marketing strategy throughout the history of AI.
• Differentiate between AI marketing and AI journalism, understanding the important role of AI accountability reporting.
• Consider the classroom impacts of AI technologies through a lens of safety and privacy.
• Consider the classroom impacts of AI technologies through the lens of equity and accountability.

Key Objectives for Students:

Students will be able to...

• Understand and define key terms and concepts in the field of Artificial Intelligence.
• Examine multimedia reporting on AI accountability.
• Make local and personal connections to issues of AI accountability.
• Engage in reflection and discussion with their peers about AI accountability issues.

Support for Exploring AI Accountability Issues in the Classroom:

The Pulitzer Center offers free, virtual journalist visits for in-school classes, out-of-school time programs, and other K-12 student groups. You can invite a journalist who specializes in reporting on artificial intelligence to speak with your class to help explain key concepts, introduce powerful stories, show how a journalist reports safely and ethically on these topics, and get students' questions answered. Click here to explore example guest speakers who may be available to speak with your students, and request a virtual visit here.

AI Accountability Toolkits were created by The Information and Artificial Intelligence Teacher Advisory Council, a Pulitzer Center Education program established in response to teacher feedback about the challenges and opportunities that exist when trying to engage students in conversation about AI technologies and their impacts on society. To learn more about the program, watch the webinar “Connecting Students to AI Accountability News Stories.”

This resource provides some background information and key concepts about Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies that can be useful to educators who are interested in better understanding AI. The resource also introduces educators to Pulitzer Center reporting on Information and Artificial Intelligence which can support educators in teaching more effectively about AI in the classroom.

This resource provides an overview of some of the key terms and concepts in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). It is designed to help students, including English language learners, become familiar with the vocabulary used when discussing AI technologies. Engaging with this resource should also support student understanding of Pulitzer Center reporting on Information and Artificial Intelligence.