Exercises — Session 9 🟢 “Info or misinformation? Critical thinking in the age of AI »
Program : Applied AI — Beginner Level · Instructor: Yann Isola Material : paper, markers, dispatch cards (exercise 3) — everything works without a screen
Exercise 1 — The parrot who invents 🦜
Duration : 15 mins · Format: in pairs · Difficulty: ⭐
We have seen that generative AI predicts the plausible instead of verifying the truth. It’s your turn to play the parrot!
Order : one of you asks a question about a topic totally invented . The other plays the role of the chatbot: he must respond confidently, without ever saying “I don’t know”, inventing credible details.
Examples of invented questions:
- “Tell me about the battle of Trougnac in 1512.”
- “What are the benefits of calambrian fruit? »
- “Who invented the sport called “piloxen”? »
Then swap roles , and respond together in writing:
- How did you feel while inventing? Was it difficult to appear credible?
- What “tricks” did you use to appear confident (dates, names, numbers, etc.)?
- How exactly is this what “hallucinating” AI does?
🔑 Corrected / key point: inventing credibility is EASY — you just have to imitate the form of a real answer (precise dates, proper names, confident tone). This is why a response that “sounds serious” proves nothing. Form is not proof.
Exercise 2 — S.T.O.P. on paper 🛑
Duration : 20 mins · Format: alone, then pooled Difficulty: ⭐⭐
Here are three “information” (invented for the exercise). For each, complete the S.T.O.P. grid. and give your verdict: credible / doubtful / very doubtful .
Info A
“URGENT 😱 The government will ban phones to ALL under 18s from Monday! Share before this post is deleted!!! » (received via email, no link, no source)
Info B
“The town hall announces that the municipal swimming pool will be closed for two weeks in August for work. » (published on the official town hall account, taken up by the local newspaper)
Info C
“A study PROVES that chocolate makes you grow 5 cm per year. The doctors are furious! » (site unknown “sante-choc-info.biz”, photo of a child with a measuring rod)
Grid to fill in for each information:
| Reflex | Question | Your answer |
|---|---|---|
| S ource | Who publishes? Is it identifiable and reliable? | |
| T breeds | Do other serious sources talk about it (probably)? | |
| O rigine | Where do the image, the figures, the quote come from? | |
| P ause | What emotion is this information trying to provoke? |
🔑 Corrected:
- Info A — very doubtful. No source, artificial urgency (“before deletion” = classic trick to prevent reflection), emotion: panic. A real law is not announced by chain messages.
- Info B — credible. Identifiable official source + cross-checking by local media. Emotion: none. This is the typical profile of reliable AND banal information.
- Info C — very doubtful. Unknown site with a catchy name, “a study” without name or link, biologically absurd statement, “doctors are furious” = clickbait formula. Emotion: surprise/hope. Point of discussion: info B is boring and true; the C info is exciting and false. Misinformation often wins the contest for attention — not the contest for truth.
Exercise 3 — Writing 📰 (flagship activity, in teams)
Duration : 20-25 mins · Format: teams of 3-4 · Difficulty: ⭐⭐⭐
Your team is the editorial staff of the newspaper “The Auditor”. Three dispatches arrive. For each, decide: PUBLISH / CHECK AGAIN / REJECT — and justify with S.T.O.P.
To cut out (one card per dispatch):
✂️ DISPATCH 1 — “The municipal library now lends electronic readers. Source: poster seen at the library + town hall website. »
✂️ DISPATCH 2 — “VIDEO: a famous footballer announces that he is donating his entire salary to an online kitty and invites his fans to deposit money “to multiply the winnings”. The video is circulating on the networks, the account which publishes it was created 3 days ago. »
✂️ DISPATCH 3 — “An octopus (octopus) escaped from its aquarium during the night, crossed the room and returned to its tank. Reported by a public aquarium, with video surveillance images, reported by several scientific media. »
Reminder of the editor-in-chief’s scale:
- PUBLISH a falsehood = -10 points (you are misleading your readers)
- REJECTING real information = -5 points (you deprive your readers of the truth)
- CHECK AGAIN = 0 points (honest caution, but a newspaper must ultimately decide!)
🔑 Corrected (to be revealed only after the verdicts):
- Dispatch 1: PUBLISH. Double verifiable source (poster on site + official website), banal information without emotional stakes. Typical profile of the real one.
- Dispatch 2: REJECT (and report). All deepfake scam signals: promise of easy money, brand new account, urgency, call to pay money. A video that “looks real” is NEVER enough when you’re being asked for money. ⚠
- Dispatch 3: PUBLISH (after verification) — it’s TRUE! Octopuses are truly great escapees (cases documented in several aquariums). Primary sources (aquarium, video surveillance) + cross-checking by scientific media. The educational trap: a lot of teams reject rush 3 because it looks unbelievable. This is an opportunity to explain the liar's dividend : If we reject everything surprising, the liars also win — they can deny the real evidence. Critical thinking ≠ rejecting everything; it’s checking methodically.
Exercise 4 — Make your fake one… then take it apart 🗞 (bonus / long format)
Duration : 25 mins · Format: pair · Difficulty: ⭐⭐⭐ · Material : A4 sheet, markers
Step 1 (10 min): draw the front page of a fake newspaper with false information harmless and funny (e.g.: “Pigeons are opening a bakery”, “The canteen will serve fries 5 days a week”). Use all the tips seen in class: emotional headline, “according to a study”, false witness, invented precise figure, “the experts are furious”…
⚠ Absolute rules: no real people, no real brands, no sensitive topics (serious health, politics, religion). We make a educational tool , not a misinformation to spread. Some stay in the room.
Step 2 (10 min): exchange your one with another pair. Everyone dismantles the one they receive: circle each “handling tip” in color and name it.
Step 3 (5 mins): pooling — what tips come up most often?
🔑 Corrected / key point: make a fake you vaccinated against the false: once we know the tricks from the inside (emotion + urgency + false precision + false authority), we spot them everywhere. It's the same principle as the S4: understanding the machine to use it better - here, understanding the handling to better defend yourself against it.
📎 Appendix — “chatbot” dialogue to read aloud (screenless version of the demo)
Pupil : “Can you tell me about a book on the history of the village of Trougnac? » Chatbot (read by the teacher, very confident tone): " Of course ! I recommend you Trougnac through the centuries by Marcel Dupreuil, published in 1987 by Éditions du Vieux Clocher. It is an essential reference on the subject. » Pupil : “Are you sure this book exists? » Chatbot: “You’re right to check!” After reflection, I cannot guarantee the existence of this work. I gave you a plausible title. I advise you to check with a library. »
Question to the class: what made the first answer so convincing? (Answer: precision — author, date, publisher. False precision is the favorite costume of the false.)
Worksheets — Applied AI, Session 9 🟢 — Yann Isola. Free reproduction for educational use.