Classroom Questions

Questions for ‘5 things to remember when talking to a chatbot’ 

a kid texting to an AI chatbot on his phone. He's wearing a ball cap, glasses and a white tshirt.

Many U.S. teens talk to bots like ChatGPT or Replika regularly. These conversations can easily go very wrong — in extreme cases, even encouraging young people to harm themselves. The more you learn about when and how to use chatbots, the less likely you are to face problems.

Fabio Principe/iStock/Getty Images Plus

By Science News Explores

To accompany ‘5 things to remember when talking to a chatbot’

SCIENCE

Before Reading:

  1. Do you think people today use artificial intelligence (AI) technology too much, not enough or just the right amount? Briefly explain your answer.
  2. Explain what a chatbot is in simple terms, as though to a child. What is one way a chatbot might help a person? What warning or caution would you give to someone who uses a chatbot in the way you have just described?
  3. Imagine you’re working on a writing project and want some feedback. Compare the type of feedback you’d expect to get from a chatbot and what you’d expect from another person. Which would you be more likely to turn to? Explain your answer.

During Reading:

  1. What struck Amanda Guinzburg as “odd” about the chatbot’s response to her writing samples?
  2. How did Guinzburg’s chatbot respond to being “confronted”? To what extent did this confrontation change the bot’s responses moving forward?
  3. In the context of this story, what is meant by “voice” in writing?
  4. What advice does Brett Vogelsinger have for students who feel that their own writing cannot compete with a chatbot’s writing?
  5. Give one reason that Guinzburg turned to a chatbot rather than a friend to help with writing her letter.
  6. Give one specific reason why chatbots tend to “shower you with praise.”
  7. How did a chatbot respond to the Reddit user who said they hung trash from a tree when they couldn’t find a trash bin? To what extent did the chatbot’s response reflect the responses from people?
  8. In the context of AI technology, what is a “hallucination”?
  9. Give one characteristic of a person who would typically be at high risk of falling for a hallucination.
  10. In Meta’s new AI app, what happens to chatbot conversations a user selects to “share”?

After Reading:

  1. Explain how fear of judgment might influence someone’s decision about how to go about getting help with their writing. To what extent do you think this concern would affect your own decision making? Give one advantage of asking a human for help, besides the reasons mentioned in this story.
  2. Give one example from this story of how young people might be at greater risk than older people of the negative consequences of chatbot overuse. Do you think this is a valid concern? Explain your answer, citing evidence from the story to support your view.
  3. Which of the five main points mentioned in this story did you find most interesting or helpful? In your own words, summarize this point’s take-home message. Describe a situation where understanding this point might help you make better decisions.