Teach with expert insights on AI, curated by your trusty Teacher’s AIde

Welcome back to Teacher's AIed, where we tackle the big questions like whether AI could predict the Super Bowl winner faster than a middle schooler can say, "But why do we have homework over the weekend?"

Generative AI, the wizard behind the curtain, can craft text, images, and sounds indistinguishable from human-made content. We’ve already covered how educators need to grapple with this in terms of plagiarism.

On a weekly basis, we’ve collectively imagined a world where technology transforms learning, creativity, and communication. We’ve explored many of the incredible opportunities that Generative AI brings to educators.

Now, picture the same technology fueling cyberbullying. It is important to share — and vital to educate ourselves — on more nefarious uses of Generative AI in schools.

As reported by EdWeek, “last fall, students in New Jersey and Washington state used artificial intelligence tools to create fake, pornographic images of their female classmates.” These are prime examples of the sad ways Generative AI can be misused.

In this issue of Teacher’s AIed, we will give a brief overview of Generative AI’s image-to-image capabilities, share what must be done, and list resources for educators to navigate AI-assisted cyberbullying.

1. Capability Crash Course

In the digital age, generative AI introduces a transformative capability known as img2img (image-to-image translation), which allows for the modification of existing images into entirely different styles or contexts with startling realism. This feature has a vast range of applications, from artistic expression and design innovation to educational tools and beyond, showcasing the positive potential of AI.

The process for using img2img technology is essentially as easy as using text-to-text or text-to-image generative AI tools like ChatGPT and DALLE. The only difference is that users can upload a picture and use that picture as the starting point.

This remarkable ability to "repaint reality" also harbors a darker side, especially when considered in the context of cyberbullying. An image of a person, initially harmless and benign, can be altered in ways that mock, degrade, or even place the individual in compromising or embarrassing scenarios that never occurred.

Cyberbullies and harassers can exploit img2img technology with ease, requiring minimal technical skill to inflict harm. The accessibility of generative AI tools means that creating these images is not only possible but can be done quickly and anonymously.

2. “Fight like hell for the positive use cases” -Sal Khan

In his TED Talk where he shared Khanmigo, Sal Khan said we must “fight like hell” for AI's positive uses. This battle cry isn't just about embracing AI's wonders; it's a solemn vow to safeguard its potential from descending into harmful hands.

From altered images to fake videos, the tales of cyberbullying are both heartbreaking and eye-opening. Furthermore, with continued developments in text-to-video and multimodal Generative AI tools, this is likely to remain an issue.

3. Resources for Educators

Educators, you're often the first line of defense in this digital dilemma. Understanding AI, educating students, and shaping policies are your armors against AI-enabled cyberbullying. Drawing from "How to Report Cyberbullying" on StopBullying.gov, the mission is clear: educate, enforce, and empower.

Two additional resources I found helpful and interesting while researching for this post were:

• https://cyberbullying.org/ - “The Cyberbullying Research Center is dedicated to providing up-to-date information about the nature, extent, causes, and consequences of cyberbullying among adolescents.”

• https://chat.openai.com/g/g-q5a9BVdFu-cyberbullying-defense-guide - The Cyberbullying Defense Guide, a public bot available through ChatGPT “educates and equips users with strategies to recognize, prevent, and counteract cyberbullying with real-world examples.”

While the potential for creativity and innovation with Generative AI is boundless, there is a pressing need for ethical guidelines, digital literacy, and robust mechanisms to prevent and respond to misuse.

By fostering digital citizenship and literacy, we can harness AI's potential while curtailing its darker uses.

One small way you can do your part in spreading education is by sharing this newsletter with K12 Educators or Education Professionals who care about the ethical use of Generative AI.

Class dismissed!

Lewis Poche & Kourtney Bradshaw-Clay