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Trace the Information: Did the Simpsons predict a bridge collapse?

SKILL: Trace the Information

DIFFICULTY: Simple

SUBJECT(S): Pop Culture, Politics/Current Events, AI

Students will use a reverse image search to learn that an image shared as evidence that the Simpsons predicted the collision between a ship and a bridge in Baltimore was generated by using AI.

Related Lesson

CTRL-F Lesson 4: Trace the Information (sign-in required)

Link to Example

The Simpsons predicted bridge collapse (Tweet)

Background

New developments in artificial intelligence (AI) technology has allowed for the creation of tools which can create images from text prompts. 

Allegations that the writers of the popular cartoon series The Simpsons have predicted major world events – from the Trump presidency to the 2014 Ebola outbreak – have been a popular meme online for some time. The show’s writers have said they believe the number of apparent predictions they have made is due to the large number of episodes that have aired.



About the Example

Shortly after a container ship caused  Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge to collapse internet users started making posts, such as this tweet, claiming The Simpsons had predicted this accident, sharing images of what appeared to be a scene from the cartoon depicting the collision

A reverse image search brings us to a Snopes fact-check rating the claim that these images show evidence of The Simpsons’ creators’ ability to predict the future as false. The article goes on to explain that these images were created using AI.



Activities

  1. Show students the tweet and have them summarize the claim and describe the image. Fill in any gaps in knowledge about the allegations that The Simpsons have successfully predicted several major world events.
  2. Have students reverse search the image using the following steps:
    • Right click on the image and select “Search Google for this image.”
  3. Have students click into the Yahoo article at the top of the results.
    • What is the original source of the Yahoo article? Is this a trustworthy source?
    • What did you learn about this claim and image?
    • Why might someone re-share this claim?
    • Could it be harmful to share false information on social media as a joke? Explain your reasoning.


Optional Discussion Questions

Snopes explains the various visual indications that the image was generated by AI, including character-design flaws. This is an example of close-reading. As AI technology improves, AI generated images become more pervasive and harder to distinguish from authentic images. With this in mind, why is it better for us to use lateral reading to determine whether or not an image was generated using AI? 



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