Session 5 of 8
AI makes mistakes. Find them. This is a game.
Say to your child: "Today we're going to try to catch AI making mistakes. I think we can find at least 3. You ready?" Make it a competition — who can find the most errors.
"Remember — AI sounds very confident even when it's completely wrong. That's what makes it tricky."
This session is a game. Every mistake found = 1 point. Parent and child compete to spot errors first.
Check the answer: 17 × 24 = 408. Did AI get it right? Did it show correct working? Try a few more calculations until you find one it gets wrong or shows wrong working for.
Count together yourself. AI often miscounts. (Answer: 9 e's). Did AI get it right?
AI has a knowledge cutoff — it may not know recent events. Check against reality. This teaches that AI knowledge is not up to date.
(Answer: 5 minutes — each machine makes 1 widget in 5 minutes regardless of how many machines there are.) AI often gets this wrong. Celebrate if you catch it!
Ask your child: "If AI can be wrong about maths and facts — when should we trust it? When shouldn't we?" There's no single right answer. Let them reason it out. Possible answers: trust it for ideas, stories, explanations. Don't trust it for specific facts, calculations, recent events, or anything important without checking.
Today's entire session is this rule in action. By the end, your child has personally caught AI making mistakes — which is more powerful than any explanation. The habit to build: whenever AI tells you a fact, think 'how would I check that?'
Found real mistakes that AI made and proved it wrong
Healthy scepticism toward AI output. This is one of the most important sessions in the programme — children who learn to verify rather than accept are better critical thinkers in general, not just about AI.
Some children get very excited about catching AI out — channel that into the habit of checking. Others feel uncomfortable that the AI is 'lying' — reassure them: it's not lying intentionally, it's making errors. Understanding the difference matters.
This session naturally reinforces the core message: AI is not authoritative. Whatever it says may be wrong. This is especially important for health, safety, and factual information — things that actually matter.