Student learning · Grades 9–12, Higher Ed · 90 minutes
Human + AI Studio
Students create a short piece with AI as a prompt partner, log every suggestion they keep, change, or reject, and defend their human choices in a studio critique.
Generative AI can produce a poem, a story opening, or a poster concept in seconds, which raises a real question for student creators: what part of the work is theirs? In this studio, students make a short creative piece (flash fiction of 150–250 words or a one-page design concept) using AI only as a prompt partner that offers ideas, never as the author. They keep a Human Choices Ledger of every AI suggestion and their decision about it, then defend their choices in a studio critique where peers ask, "Why that?" The evidence of learning is not the finished piece; it's the trail of decisions that made it.
In this packet
- Handout A: AI Suggestion Deck (cut-apart cards)
- Handout B: Human Choices Ledger (organizer)
- Handout C: Studio Critique Rubric (rubric)
TCEA ELE indicators
- AI5.1 I know how to foster collaboration between humans and AI systems.
- AI5.3 I am aware of the potential of AI to augment human creativity and problem-solving.
- S5.2 I can use creativity and logic to find innovative solutions.
- AI2.3 I am aware of the importance of transparency and accountability in AI systems.
Full facilitator guide: mglearn.github.io/eles/activities/human-ai-studio.html
Handout A for Human + AI Studio
AI Suggestion Deck
These are mock AI suggestions for the prompt "a moment when something ordinary became strange." Draw one when you want an idea. Log it on Handout B and decide: keep, change, or reject.
Sheet 1 of 2
Idea
What if a person's shadow started arriving in rooms a few seconds before they did?
Idea
A school bell rings at the usual time, but everyone in the building hears a different song.
Opening line
"Every morning the bus stopped at Juniper Street, but today it stopped at a street that wasn't on any map."
Character
A night-shift custodian who notices that the lost-and-found box is slowly filling with objects that haven't been lost yet.
Twist
The strange thing isn't happening to the world. It's happening to the narrator, and everyone else has noticed except them.
Ending
End on an ordinary action that now feels different: someone turning off a light, and the dark lasting a moment too long.
Design
Poster concept: an everyday object (a key, a spoon, a sneaker) shown very large, with one small detail that doesn't belong.
Design
Color idea: a calm, dull palette of grays and beiges, with one element in an unnatural bright color.
Handout A for Human + AI Studio
AI Suggestion Deck
These are mock AI suggestions for the prompt "a moment when something ordinary became strange." Draw one when you want an idea. Log it on Handout B and decide: keep, change, or reject.
Sheet 2 of 2
Question
What does your character want before the strange thing happens? How does the strangeness get in the way?
Question
Which of your five senses would notice the change first? Start there.
Generic
"Suddenly, everything changed, and nothing would ever be the same again."
Title
Title options: "Thursday, Slightly Wrong" · "The Humming" · "Lost and Not Yet Found" · "The Map Doesn't Know"
Handout B for Human + AI Studio
Human Choices Ledger
Log every AI suggestion. Decision: Keep · Change · Reject. The reason must connect to what YOU want your piece to do. Write your two-sentence disclosure on the back.
| # | What I asked (or card drawn) | What the AI suggested | My decision (Keep / Change / Reject) | Why, based on my intent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||
| 2 | ||||
| 3 | ||||
| 4 | ||||
| 5 | ||||
| 6 | ||||
| Revision after critique |
Handout C for Human + AI Studio
Studio Critique Rubric
Score a peer's piece and ledger. Add one warm and one cool comment on the back.
| Criterion | Beginning | Developing | Proficient | Exemplary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Human authorship | Most of the piece is AI text or imagery used as given. | The creator made some changes, but AI suggestions drive the piece. | The creator's intent shapes the piece; AI suggestions are clearly adapted or selected. | A distinct personal voice or vision; AI suggestions are transformed or purposefully rejected. |
| Decision log | Few entries, no reasons. | Entries with general reasons ("I liked it"). | Five or more entries with reasons tied to intent, including a rejection and a change. | Entries show a clear pattern of judgment, and the creator can name what they learned about their own preferences. |
| Defending choices | Can't explain choices. | Explains some choices but relies on "the AI suggested it." | Answers "Why that?" questions with specific reasons. | Answers with reasons and connects choices to the effect on the reader or viewer. |
| Transparency | No disclosure. | Vague disclosure ("I used AI"). | Disclosure says what AI contributed and what the creator decided. | Clear, specific disclosure a reader could use to understand exactly how the piece was made. |