Students use an AI image generator to make comic strips about different digital divides. They see how AI draws people and problems, and what kinds of stories it struggles to tell.
When we use AI to make comics, we can see what the AI thinks is “normal.” It might draw people in unfair or stereotypical ways. It might also focus on some problems while ignoring others. This shows what stories the AI has seen the most—and who it might be leaving out. By noticing these patterns, we can ask better questions about fairness and technology
Instructions
- Read about the three types of digital divides in this summary from the U.S. National Technology Plan:
A Call to Action for Closing the Digital Access, Design, and Use Divides (PDF) - In pairs or small groups, your teacher will assign one type of divide:
- Digital Access (Who has internet or devices)
- Digital Use (How people are taught to use tech—for creativity, connection, or just consuming)
- Digital Design (Whether teachers have the support and skills to design good tech use in their classrooms)
- Ask an AI chatbot (like ChatGPT) to help you write a short story (3–5 sentences) that shows a real-life example of your assigned divide.
- Prompt example: “Help me write a story about a student facing a digital use divide.”
- Copy your story and paste it into an AI image generator (ChatGPT is really good at this). Ask it to make a 3-panel comic strip showing the story.
- Prompt example: “Make a 3-panel comic showing this story: [paste story].”
- Try different prompts if needed.
- Look closely at the comic.
- What kinds of people did it draw?
- What does it focus on—or miss?
- Share your comic with the class. Talk about what you noticed, especially if the AI struggled with your type of divide.
Conscientization
Reading the world through this activity
- What kinds of people did the AI draw in your comic? What did they look like?
- Did the AI draw your divide type clearly? Or was it hard to show?
- What does this show about the stories the AI has seen—and the ones it hasn’t?
Praxis
Reflection leading to transformation
- What could happen if teachers or leaders believed these AI-made images tell the full story?
- How might it hurt real people when some stories are shown more than others?
- What would you say to AI developers after doing this activity?
Dialogue
Ongoing discussion
- Share your comic with your class. What surprised people the most?
- Which divide types were easy for the AI to show? Which were hard?
- What patterns do you see across the comics—who gets shown, and how?
- Try a different prompt or story. Does the AI change its answers?