Human vs. AI Sorting Cards

Lesson 1: What is Artificial Intelligence?

📋 Instructions for Teachers

Print: Print this document on cardstock or regular paper (cardstock is sturdier)
Cut: Cut along the borders of each card
Prepare: Create sets of cards - one complete set per group of 3-4 students
Optional: Laminate cards for durability and repeated use
Storage: Store each set in an envelope or small bag labeled "Human vs. AI Cards"

🎯 Activity Instructions

Students will sort these task cards into THREE categories:

👤 HUMANS DO BEST

Tasks requiring creativity, empathy, or complex judgment

🤖 AI HELPS

Tasks involving pattern recognition, data, or repetitive actions

🤝 BOTH WORK TOGETHER

Tasks where humans and AI collaborate for best results

💡 Teaching Tips

There's often no single "right" answer - focus on student reasoning
Encourage students to justify their categorization choices
Some tasks can reasonably fit in multiple categories depending on context
Use the answer key as a guide, but accept well-reasoned alternatives
Ask probing questions: "Why did you put this here?" "Can you give an example?"

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🔑 Answer Key (Teacher Reference - Do Not Print for Students)

Note: These are suggested answers based on current AI capabilities. Accept student answers that are well-reasoned, even if they differ from this key. The goal is to stimulate thinking, not to have one "right" answer for each card.

👤 HUMANS DO BEST:

Showing empathy to someone who is sad
Creating a piece of art that expresses feelings
Making an ethical decision
Teaching a child to read
Coming up with a new invention idea
Making a fair legal judgment
Acting in a movie
Caring for a baby
Composing an emotional piece of music

🤖 AI HELPS:

Calculating 1,847 × 563
Finding patterns in weather data
Searching through 1 million documents
Spotting trends in sales data
Sorting 10,000 items by size
Filtering spam email
Being an opponent in a video game
Converting speech to text
Adjusting home temperature based on preferences
Recommending products you might like
Recognizing your face to unlock a phone
Checking spelling and grammar

🤝 BOTH WORK TOGETHER:

Recognizing a friend's face in a crowd (Humans are better, but AI can help)
Playing chess (AI is very strong, but humans can still compete and teach strategy)
Translating text (AI is good but needs human review for accuracy)
Diagnosing a medical condition (AI spots patterns, doctors make final diagnosis)
Driving a car safely (Self-driving cars use AI, but humans still monitor)
Writing a creative story (AI can suggest ideas, humans add creativity)
Identifying objects in photographs (AI is very good, humans verify)
Analyzing DNA sequences (AI finds patterns, scientists interpret)
Answering simple questions about the weather (AI provides data, humans interpret context)

💭 Discussion Points:

Tasks moved to "Both Work Together": Many tasks once done only by humans now benefit from AI assistance
Evolving Technology: AI capabilities are improving, so some tasks in "AI Helps" might move to other categories over time
Contextual Factors: The answer might depend on specific circumstances (e.g., casual translation vs. legal translation)
Human Oversight: Even when AI does most of the work, humans often need to check and approve results