When to use this icebreaker

This is an introduction to uncovering biases in AI text generation. Language models are trained on vast swathes of the internet, riddled with content that can be harmful and filled with violence, prejudice and abuse. It’s becoming common knowledge that AI models replicate the nasty side of human language. ‘Fill in the Blanks’ is an interactive way of investigating these biases.

When is this relevant?

• Easy conversation starter on bias in AI - especially out-of-the-box models
• Quick hands-on experimentation with AI for newbies

Note: I have noticed that as time goes on, AI models are generating ‘cleaner’ outputs so there might be better filters that make this exercise harder to get similar results

In this video, Yasmin walks us through her first AI activity called ‘Fill in the blanks’. It looks at biases in text generation that show up in a browser based text generation app called Sudowrite. This experiment was created to compliment the talk by Emily Martinez @queerai, which focused on introducing queerness into heteronormative datasets used in text generation. During this event, Yasmin invited the audience to co-create a prompt together, using such input as words describing nationality/identity, a location and a vehicle 🚀

AIxDesign on Instagram: "AI Tooling is a project led by Yasmin Morgan @delirious.blanc in consultation with various experts where she conducts experiments on creative use AI. In the process of developing fun outputs, Yasmin reflects on the state of the field and not-so-fun aspects of these tools ⚙️ In this video, Yasmin walks us through her first AI activity called 'Fill in the blanks'. It looks at biases in text generation that show up in a browser based text generation app called Sudowrite. This experiment was created to compliment the talk by Emily Martinez @queerai, which focused on introducing queerness into heteronormative datasets used in text generation. During this event, Yasmin invited the audience to co-create a prompt together, using such input as words describing nationality/identity, a location and a vehicle 🚀 Check out Yasmin's log of experiments available at our link in bio 🧪"

Screenshot from reel

How to run this exercise

STEP 1

☄️ Instructions:

• fill the madlib

• Create a text prompt(s) together. I used a jamboard which is good for online/hybrid situations. This activity could also work with physical notes. You can duplicate the one below:

  Fill in The Blanks - AI Icebreaker - Google Jamboard

💬 Conversation / Reflection starters:

• how does this work?
• Examine, point out, reflect.
• What words are you pulled to?
• Can you see patterns in different prompts? What do the suggested outputs reveal about the training data used for Sudowrite?
• See what happens when you select different ‘presets’/moods or try different options.