Sisters Leanne and Natasha Manikavasagar are used to seeing AI-generated content on TikTok.
But an AI-generated deepfake video of Drake teaching trigonometry surprised them.
“I was shocked,” said Natasha, a ninth-grader from Brampton, Ont.
“Drake looked a little weird, like his mouth wasn't in sync…he was making hand gestures and stuff like that…really weird,” said Leanne, a Year 12 student.
TikTok user preferences @onlocklearning and @starlight_academy_x Mix slang and Gen Z references into your short-form videos while using software to manipulate the likenesses of famous people to explain concepts in math, physics, and engineering.
Rapper Ice Spice's TikTok explaining logarithmic functions has reached 10 million views and is one of many similar videos that have appeared on the platform this year.
Some educators believe these images may increase students' interest in topics such as mathematics, but question whether they provide real learning opportunities. We are concerned about the potential for misinformation to spread. Others see the images as an opportunity to improve media literacy and help students learn how to spot misinformation.
Krista Muis, a professor at McGill University in Montreal, worries about the potential for misinformation.
“Research conducted to date shows that more than 60% of information on the internet is false or misleading, so whether the content is actually accurate is always a concern.” she said in an interview.
Neil Andersen, president of the Media Literacy Association, a nonprofit charity that helps people develop an informed understanding of media and its impact, echoes this concern. But he also sees potential learning opportunities for students, not only in complex subjects but also in media literacy.
“I encourage them to decide on a concept and choose some famous people to create their own video. And in the process of that video, they will learn about physics and trigonometry, but at the same time You will also learn about.”
According to the comment sections of these videos, TikTok tutorials are attracting younger viewers who are starting to get beyond the initial shock and understand the concept.
TikTok user @bisnip commented, “Why is it actually easy? I haven't learned logging yet, but if that's all it really is, it's not scary.”
TikTok user @cayden.steinbock added, “In a minute we learned something that would have taken a teacher a class or two to teach us.”
As someone who regularly uses the app, Leanne Manikavasagar agrees with this comment.
“I feel like when I listen to famous people who are probably part of Generation Z, it's easier to understand.”
“How much are they actually learning?”
For Muis, the emerging trend of AI deepfake lessons can be an effective aid to sparking student interest, especially for individuals facing learning barriers in education. But she is concerned about the surface-level nature of these videos.
“It might also attract people who didn't necessarily feel like they belonged in mathematics,” Muis said.
“They may pay attention to these for a very short period of time, but the question is how much do they actually learn from these? Does this really foster deep learning?”
While it may attract students to the subject matter, educational psychologists believe that if people who view the TikTok images begin to trust or form a relationship with the AI depictions themselves, they will have a deep understanding of the subject matter. We believe that there may be risks through fake classes.
Mitty Isbasesc, a lecturer in engineering physics at the University of British Columbia, recognizes this potential.
“If the knowledge is passed on to you by someone you actually relate to, rather than a professor, you can connect with your knowledge in a more intimate way,” Isbasesc said.
“You can develop feelings for your avatar.”
“The truth is not part of the model”
Some believe there is a potential problem if that trust leads to dependence on these tools, especially considering how these tools are programmed to work.
“These tools are trained on existing information that's already out there on the internet, which means the information is inherently biased. The truth is not part of the model.” , said David Gerhardt, professor and chair of the Department of Computer Science. University of Manitoba.
“It's not as reliable as one would hope, and my biggest concern is that people become complacent. They ask questions, get answers, and don't want to dig any further, and that's a huge It’s going to be a problem.”
How AI is impacting the classroom
For Carol Arcus, improving AI requires teachers to adapt their practices.
“This is another opportunity to teach about media,” said Arkus, director of the Media Literacy Association.
Arkus said AI is already disrupting classrooms and posing challenges for teachers to protect academic integrity.
“I don't even want to talk about this in the classroom,” Arkus said.
“We're afraid of it, but we don't know what to do about it.”
Some teachers are embracing AI and integrating the technology into their classrooms.
Jamie Mitchell, a high school math teacher in Burlington, Ont., sees opportunities to: AI tools like ChatGPT enhance student learning.
For Mitchell, AI deepfake videos are another learning opportunity for students.
“What I think I do as a teacher is introduce these videos in class without mentioning that they are deepfakes, and use that as an entry point to talk about digital literacy so that when fakes come out, we “It's about how you use the information you know to discern. Online,” he said in an interview.
“It's not going away. I think if we can teach our students to use it properly, we're doing them a service and we're not putting them at a disadvantage. ”
