A1 Smart or Not?

What can machines do, and what do people do better?

Before you start. Read this with a grown-up the first time. You can do the drawing and sorting by yourself.

Your lessons

Open a lesson. Tick the boxes as you go. Do one lesson at a time.

Lesson 1: Machines and PeopleAbout 20 minutes

You need:

Fold a piece of paper into 3 columns. Write or draw a heading on each one: MACHINE GOOD, PERSON GOOD, BOTH.
Cut or tear 4 small bits of paper. Draw one thing on each bit: counting 1000 things, comforting a sad friend, spelling a very long word, making up a new game.
Take one bit at a time. Ask yourself: who is better at this, a machine or a person? Put the bit in a column.
Now think: can a machine feel sad? Can it make up a game because it wants to have fun?
Finish these sentences out loud: “A machine is good at ______. People are good at ______.”

Real AI test (with a grown-up): Ask the machine about itself

Optional, and a grown-up runs it. Under 13, the grown-up types and reads, and you direct and check. Read the real-AI guide first. About 10 minutes.

Why we do this. A machine and a person are different. Let’s hear what a machine says about itself.

Prompt 1: Are you a person?

Are you a person or a computer program? Answer in two short sentences, in simple words for a young child.

Prompt 2: Hugs and feelings

Can you give someone a hug? Can you feel sad? Answer in two short sentences, in simple words for a young child.

Change only made-up parts in [brackets]. Never add a name, school, address, photo or anything private.

Tool, prompt, what it said, what you checked, and whether it was right, wrong or not sure. Record sheet

Think about it. Make a list of things the machine said it cannot do but people can.

Name one thing a machine does well.

Open the answer

Adding big numbers fast, counting, or doing the same thing again and again without getting tired.

Name one thing people do better.

Open the answer

Comforting a friend, caring, having ideas and making things up because we want to.

Show a grown-up your three columns and tell them why you put each one where you did. There is no single right answer.

Lesson 2: Helpers Around UsAbout 20 minutes