How can AI help communities with different perspectives find common ground?
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August 11, 2025
Ask students: What is "Sensemaker," and how does it work to gather and analyze community voices? Why might the opinions shared at town hall meetings not fully represent the views of the entire community?
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Note: If you are short on time, watch the video and complete this bell ringer activity: What did you notice? What did the story make you think about? What would you want to learn more about?
The rise of artificial intelligence has sparked concerns across various sectors, including employment, education and national security. But one Kentucky county is taking a different approach, using the technology to boost something far more human: civic engagement. Judy Woodruff reports on an experiment that revealed surprising levels of agreement. It’s part of her series, America at a Crossroads.
View the transcript of the story.
Break into small groups and brainstorm an idea for an AI tool that could help improve how student voices are heard at your school.
Once your group has an idea, create a poster (using either paper or a digital platform like Canva) that explains how your AI tool works, as well as how it helps to amplify student voices and address important concerns of the student body.
Your poster should also include:
Join the team from the AI Educator Brain, which includes AFT’s Share My Lesson director Kelly Booz; New York City Public Schools teacher Sari Beth Rosenberg and EdBrAIn, our AI teammate (yes, it named and designed itself!). In this community, we will dissect the pros and cons of AI tools in education. Our mission: to determine how AI can support teaching and learning, and when it might be best to stick with tried-and-true methods.
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Republished with permission from PBS News Hour Classroom.
