Spot the Errors: Using AI Mistakes to Boost Kids’ Critical Thinking Skills
What’s wrong with this AI-created image?
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Remember those Spot the Difference comics we all loved as kids? They weren't just for fun.
What’s Wrong games help develop key skills like attention to detail, observational prowess, pattern recognition, and understanding context. These are foundational elements of critical thinking, which is key to problem solving, decision making, ethical reasoning, and identifying misinformation.
Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your perspective) you can use the mistakes AI makes when generating images to play a critical thinking game with kids.
Here's how it works:
Pick an AI tool like Canva, ChatGPT, or Midjourney.
Have your child help you write the prompt. It should be something familiar yet detailed.
Look at the AI-generated image together. If you find an error, celebrate it!
Keep the game going. It’s fun and educational.
Example Errors and Prompts
Prompt: A boy playing trombone
Prompt: Girl and dad building a treehouse
Prompt: Firefighter on a ladder
Critical Thinking in the AI Age
As the game progresses, bridge into deeper conversations about critical thinking. When is it appropriate to have healthy skepticism and question the information presented to us?
Discuss why we’re tempted to take AI information at face value as well as the limitations and errors in AI image generation (e.g. training data limitations, ambiguity in prompts, and complexity of real-world knowledge, including cultural contexts).
Most importantly, remember to have fun together. And if you find any particularly funny errors, share them with us!
Dr. Carla Engelbrecht is a highly-selective mom, product leader, and internationally recognized expert on children’s education and entertainment technology. As founder of Betweened, she's on a mission to transform social entertainment for kids and their families. If you haven’t already, sign up for the newsletter to get more articles like this or enjoy our free 60 minute video on how to manage when technology goes sideways.
