Generative AI Tools

  • Understand the benefits, risks and rights regarding how you interact with AI as a user
  • Learn some strategies to use AI responsibly 
  • Think of ways to make sure you are responsible user of AI during the project

These are the activities for this lesson:

Generative AI has vastly improved over the past few years and there are new online tools being developed at a rapid pace. 

This lesson provides a resource for some of the generative AI tools that are available to assist you with different parts of your submission. We will only include tools that have a free tier or free option.

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Wait! Are we allowed to use generative AI to help with our submission?

Yes, you ARE allowed to use chatbots and Gen AI to help you with your Technovation project. It will not affect your score. Technovation just wants to know who is using it and how.

Just like you would credit a teammate or a website, it’s important to be transparent and explain how you used it. 

How do you use a chatbot?

Chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini work like a conversation.

Unlike Google, which gives you websites based on your search words, a chatbot gives information in the form of a conversation. You ask it questions, providing it with necessary background information, and it responds with informative answers.

You can refine your question and give it more details, in order to get more helpful responses. It can often take many back and forth questions to get a useful response. The more specific you can be, with more information, the more useful the response will be. 

NAVIGATING THE RISKS OF AI

AI can be an amazing tool, it’s also important to know the potential risks and challenges so you can build your app safely and ethically.

Take a minute to think: What are some risks and challenges that you could face when using AI?

Now take a look at some challenges to watch out for, and see if you thought of any of these:

AI Can Make Things Up
AI models don't "know" facts like a person does. They predict what words should come next based on patterns in data. Sometimes this leads them to invent information, a problem called hallucinations. It’s a good idea to double-check to avoid your project being based on false information. Always verify what the AI tells you with trusted sources!
AI Can Be Biased
AI learns from data collected from the internet, and unfortunately, the internet can have some unfair or incomplete information. This can make the AI biased, meaning it might treat different groups of people or ideas unfairly without you even realizing it. It’s important to make sure your app works well, is fair and inclusive for everyone in your community.
Privacy and Security are Key
When you use AI tools, they often collect the information you give them. It’s best to use tools that protect your privacy (your right to keep your personal info safe), and security (protecting that info from danger). Be thoughtful about what information you ask for and how you protect it, so your users can trust your app.
Avoid Plagiarism
Using someone else's work or ideas as your own without giving them credit is plagiarism. While AI can write code or text for you, it's not truly your work unless you understand it and have added your own creativity. If you use AI, it’s important to understand how it works and If your app uses AI, you should understand how it works and make sure to give it credit where required by your guidelines.

STRATEGIES TO USE AI RESPONSIBLY

Think of AI as a thinking partner, a tool to work with to amplify your strengths and give you support in the areas where you need it.   Knowing the benefits is the first step. Now, let’s explore how to use AI smartly and responsibly for your project:

An AI assistant is only as good as the instructions you give them!  Here are the 3 basic rules for prompt writing: 

  1. Be specific: Tell AI what you want, who the audience is, and what kind of app ideas you want! 

  2. Iterate and refine: If the answer isn’t perfect, just change your prompt a little bit. Add more details, ask a different question, or tell it to try again from a new angle. Think of it as a creative back-and-forth. 

  3. Define output: Want a list? A table? Maybe some code? Make sure you ask for it! You’re in charge of how the information is presented. 

For example:

“Create a simple color palette for an app designed to help kids manage their chores. The colors should be bright and friendly. Present them in a clear table format and give a justification for why each color is appropriate.”

It’s up to you to guide AI and make sure you’re on the right path. Here are 3 ways to make sure you’re using your brain to get the best out of your AI ally:

  1. Be a Fact-Checking Detective: AI doesn’t always get it right. Sometimes it can make things up, which is called hallucinating. Always double-check the information the AI gives you in reliable sources. If you think the AI’s answer is wrong, tell it! You can say, “That doesn’t seem right. Can you check that again?”

  2. Ask “Why?”: Don’t just accept what the AI says. Challenge it! Ask it to explain its reasoning or provide the source of its information. You can even use the AI as a debate partner to explore different viewpoints for your app’s features.

  3. Be on the lookout for Bias: Sometimes data can have biases. This means the AI might show unfair stereotypes or one-sided views, especially when talking about people or certain communities. If you notice something that seems biased, you can point it out and ask for a more balanced perspective.

The best use for AI power is not to have it writing and thinking for you, but to have it helping improve your own skills and ideas. See AI as a Co-Editor!   Here are some ideas to keep it fair and safe: 

  1. Always Give Credit Where It’s Due:  Just like you’d thank a friend who helped you with an idea, you should acknowledge your AI partner. Transparency is the word here—it means being open and honest about how you worked.

  2. AI is Your Helper, Not Your Replacement: Use AI to handle the tricky, repetitive stuff or to get you unstuck when you’re feeling a little lost. Remember, your brain is the real superpower here!

  3. Know When to Put the AI Away: Sometimes, the best thing you can do is rely on your own mind. Some situations when you should consider not using AI are:  

    1. For Core Learning: If your project is about learning a really important concept, don’t just ask AI to do it for you. You need to understand it yourself so you can build on that knowledge.
    2. For Feelings and Relationships: For things like kindness, empathy, or how to be a good friend it’s best to learn from real-life experiences and from people.
    3. When It Involves sensitive Information: Be careful about putting any personal details, like your name, address, or phone number, into public AI tools. Always remember to protect your privacy!

You do NOT have to use ChatGPT, Gemini, or any AI tools. It’s a set of tools that could be very helpful.

Here are some recommended generative AI tools that can be helpful for different parts of your Technovation project. 

IDEATION

Chatbots like Gemini and ChatGPT can help you in your brainstorming on both your problem and your solution:

  • Suggestions for problems around particular UN SDG’s
  • Starting points for solutions to a particular problem to spark your own creative ideas
  • Summarizing research papers and key ideas, collecting citations
  • Show you what other solutions already exist for a given problem
  • Help you build on your existing ideas to extend them or innovate more
  • Most tools let you edit a question and try again. This is called branching. It creates a new “path” so you can compare answers, explore possibilities, and choose the best parts!

Note that both ChatGPT and Gemini have free basic versions that should be sufficient to help you ideate for your project.

DESIGN

There are many tools that exists for both UI design and general design for things like logos and business materials. Note that the free tiers usually limit the number of designs you can generate. Here are some popular tools:

  • Uizard – UI wireframes and prototyping
  • Galileo AI – enter a text prompt to generate UI and copy to Figma or copy html code
  • Canva Magic Design – generate images, videos, and presentation designs quickly with AI
  • Adobe Firefly – free version gives you a certain amount of free credits per month to create images, videos, and audio
  • SlidesAI – extension for Google slides that uses AI to generate and edit slide design and content

VIDEOS

Here are some popular video generating and video editing tools:

  • Capcut – many free AI features like auto-captioning in different languages
  • Canva Magic Design – can also generate videos
  • Visla – generate videos by text description; also has video editing capability

AI alone is not sufficient to tell your team’s personal story in a video, so use it to help with editing, or to generate ideas. Remember to include team members in your videos!

CODING

There are many AI tools to help you code your app. The most advanced ones that can generate working apps will be using text-based languages.

  • Claude –
    • can generate code or suggestions given a description of what you want to build and in what language
    • really helpful in debugging errors in your code. Copy and paste your code and error (or upload a screenshot) and it will supply suggested fixes
    • good for short snippets of code and also explaining how the code works
    • Particularly adept at providing aid for App Inventor and Thunkable and their block-based nature
  • Github Copilot – works in text-based coding Integrated Developments (IDE) to assist with coding
  • Amazon Q Developer – a plugin for your coding IDE that assists with many coding tasks
  • Windsurf – downloadable editor that can generate code for a full app from a text description
  • Canva Code – a good accompaniment if you’re already using Canva. Has potential to help generate CSS, HTML, and JavaScript for web based designs.

Some coding assistants work within the IDE. Others require you to copy and paste suggested code. Take the time to learn from the assistant. Ask it to explain code so you can understand how it works yourself.

If you do use any of these or other generative AI tools, keep a list!
You will be asked to write about these tools in your Learning Journey.

ACTIVITY: YOUR RESPONSIBLE AI USE PLAN

Estimated time: 20 minutes

It's time to create your personal plan for your project

This plan will help you use AI as a helpful tool without falling into any of the traps. Make a copy of the template to fill out the worksheet.
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