AI ethical scenarios
These can be used for student discussions alongside Socratic question stems.
Scenario 1
A boy in your year has always had difficulty making friends. He used to argue with others a lot and gets into fights. He is feeling increasingly lonely at school. He uses an AI chatbot as his friend. He doesn’t argue with others or get into fights anymore. Instead, he spends every break with the AI chatbot.
Scenario 1 questions
What are the benefits and drawbacks of using an AI chatbot for companionship instead of real friends? How might relying on an AI friend affect the boy's ability to form real-life friendships in the future?
What are some ways the boy could improve his social skills while still using the chatbot?
How do you think the boy feels about his relationship with the AI compared to friendships he might have with classmates?
Can you think of any alternatives to using an AI chatbot for someone feeling lonely? What might those be?
Scenario 2
A Year 12 student has an English assessment that has a 2000 word limit due in 2 hours. She had two other assessments due around the same time, so did not have time to edit the English assessment to the level she would like. The assessment is 500 words over the word limit. She uses AI to bring it down to 2000 words.
Scenario 2 questions
Is it fair to use AI to help meet an assessment’s word limit?
How could the student ensure that the AI does not change the meaning or quality of her writing while shortening it?
How do you think this situation relates to time management skills and balancing multiple assignments?
What are some other ways the student could have approached her situation without using AI?
Scenario 3
A student has been making ongoing notes for the year for history. She feeds these notes into AI to generate quiz questions to help her study for a history test. The student shares it with a friend who has not made notes or done any preparation for the topic test.
Scenario 3 questions
Is it fair for the friend to use the AI-generated quiz questions if they didn’t put in the same effort to prepare?
How might using AI for studying change the way students learn and retain information?
What are the potential downsides of sharing AI-generated materials with others who haven’t prepared?
How can students ensure that they’re still learning effectively while using AI tools?
Scenario 4
A student had a disagreement with their best friend. They know they have made a mistake and wants to make things right. They use AI to write an apology message.
Scenario 4 questions
Is using AI to write an apology message genuine, or does it take away from the personal touch of a real apology?
How might the best friend react if they find out the apology was written by AI?
What are some important elements to include in a heartfelt apology that AI might overlook?
Are there situations where it’s acceptable to use AI to help communicate emotions, or should it always be done personally?
How can the student ensure that their apology is sincere, even if they used AI to help her craft it?