Média Animation and the CSEM (Conseil Supérieur de l’Éducation aux Médias) collaborated to produce a series of webinars on the question ‘Is AI redefining the challenges of disinformation?’ As part of this, Anne Lehmans and Caroline Dubail gave a presentation on their research about “students’ perceptions of generative AI.” Following their presentation, a round table discussion between media education professionals was held, using a collaborative working method to propose educational approaches.
Intervention: Anne Lehmans and Caroline Dubail
Anne is a professor of information and communication sciences at the University of Bordeaux and devotes her research to information cultures. Among her various roles, she is associated with MICA (Médiation, Information, Communication, Arts) and is responsible for the Documentation program at INSPE Bordeaux. Caroline, for her part, began her career with training in graphic design before working in advertising and the press. She then changed career paths to eventually become a teacher and then an educational advisor at CLEMI. She finally began studying Information and Communication in 2020, specializing in media and information literacy, with a particular focus on documentary film. She is currently writing her thesis under the supervision of Anne Lehmans on “the confluences between Art and Media, with a particular focus on images with ambiguous status and their informational power.”
Generative artificial intelligence: understanding the imagination
Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) is becoming increasingly prevalent in everyday use, particularly among young people. However, we still lack the perspective to thoroughly analyse its long-term cognitive and psychological effects. Considering this, Caroline Dubail and Anne Lehmans propose shifting our perspective: rather than focusing solely on the measurable impacts of GAI, they are interested in the imaginations and representations that this technology inspires.
What images spontaneously come to mind when we talk about artificial intelligence? What ideas, fears, or promises do we associate with it? These questions are at the heart of their approach, which places AI in a social and political context by engaging with students from different backgrounds and learning environments.
This approach highlights several paradoxes. On the one hand, AI is already widely used daily. On the other hand, it raises serious concerns and is still poorly understood. IAG thus appears to be both a potentially empowering tool and an amplifier of risks, particularly in a context of massive circulation of images and content.
Imagination as an educational tool
Rather than viewing the imagery produced by AI solely as an obstacle to learning, Caroline Dubail and Anne Lehmans invite us to see it as an educational opportunity. Precisely because they blur the lines between reality and fiction, AI-generated images can become tools for questioning the way we perceive, interpret, and can be used as a tool for addressing issues related to information.
Why focus on perceptions of AI?
Focusing on perceptions of artificial intelligence means recognizing that technologies are never neutral. They are part of narratives, fears, and hopes that influence our uses as much as our judgments. By exploring these imaginaries with young people, it becomes possible not only to question AI, but also to strengthen essential skills: critical thinking, understanding images, and the ability to navigate an increasingly complex information environment.
Thanks to their work, Anne Lehmans and Caroline Dubail offer educational ideas based on concrete examples. You can download the tool sheet for his presentation directly from the EDMO Belux website.
Présentation de l’outil
Students’ perceptions of generative AI
This tool sheet offers an educational application of Anne Lehmans and Caroline Dubail’s research on students’ perceptions of generative AI. Through concrete classroom activities, it encourages to examine the strategies young people use to detect AI-generated images.
This tool is written in French. The examples and case studies are mainly based on situations relevant to French-speaking students and their cultural context but can be adapted for in other languages and cultural background.