The End of Truth?

1. Set Focus 
Pose this essential question to guide discussion: What effects can misinformation and deepfake videos have on society?

2. Read and Discuss 
Have students read the article, marking key ideas and questions. Then ask them to answer the following questions, citing text evidence: 

• What happened to Jennifer DeStefano in January 2023? Why do you think the author begins the article with this anecdote? (DeStefano got a scam phone call claiming kidnappers had her daughter, which included very realistic sounds of her daughter in distress. Beginning the article with this anecdote helps set up two central ideas of the article: that A.I. has made scams much easier to believe and that anyone could become the prey of scammers.)

• What evidence does the article give to support the idea that A.I.-generated fakes have become part of our everyday lives? (The article describes instances of people being fooled by fakes, such as A.I.-generated Kanye and Drake songs or a video of President Zelensky surrendering to Russia. The article also describes new phone technology that allows people to use A.I. to manipulate their own photos.)

• What’s one solution that has been proposed to help combat the problem of A.I.-generated misinformation? Do you think this solution will be effective? Explain. (Solutions include testing A.I. before release, regulating tech companies, and watermarking A.I.-generated content. Students should support their opinions with reasoning.)

3. Core Skill Practice
Assign, print, or project the activity In Their Own Words. Have students identify the speaker for each quotation from the article and paraphrase his or her words.

4. Writing Prompt
Using info from the article and your own research, create a pamphlet explaining ways that people can protect themselves from deepfakes.

5. Classroom Debate
Should A.I. companies be held responsible if they release tech that harms people?

6. Quiz & Skills
Use the quiz to assess comprehension and the Analyze the Photos and Analyze the Graph skill sheets to practice visual and data analysis.