Remember: A chatbot can sound sure and be wrong. Check facts in a second source, and keep your name, home and phone out of a chat. You are never in trouble for being fooled.
Ife checks the chatbot
Read the story first, then answer.
Pebble the purple tortoiseIfe was ten and had a report on tortoises due on Monday. Mom said, "You can use our family chatbot for ideas, and I will sit nearby." The chatbot named a book, The Tortoise Almanac, by Doctor Lena Marsh, and sounded so sure that Ife copied down a number. Then her brother Dami said, "Ask about Pebble." The chatbot said, "Pebble is a purple tortoise from Mars, who sings opera." It had never met Pebble! Ife asked how long tortoises live, twice, and got two different numbers. She called, "Mom! I think the chatbot is making stuff up." They searched for the book, and found nothing at all. Ife asked if she was in trouble, and Mom said, "Not at all. You checked." They looked in two places the family trusts, a wildlife museum's website and an old encyclopedia. Both gave the same number, and it was not the chatbot's. Ife wrote the facts in her own words and noted where she found them. Her friend Tavi had not checked, and his report said some tortoises were purple.
1
The chatbot said Pebble is a purple tortoise from Mars who sings opera. What does that show?
Chatbots only tell jokesPebble is specialA chatbot can sound sure and still be wrong
2
Ife could not find The Tortoise Almanac. What may be true about the book?
It may be made upThe search must be brokenIt is a secret book
3
Ife asked the same question twice and got a different number. That is a sign to check.
TrueFalse
4
Circle everything that should be checked in a second source.
A date for your reportA joke about snailsA book the chatbot namesName ideas for a petHow much medicine to take
5
Join each sign to what Ife did.
1A book nobody can find
2Two different numbers
3A sure, friendly voice
4Two good places agree
AMom searched and found nothing
BIfe asked the same question twice
CIfe could feel more sure
DIt proved nothing
How to check
6
Number the steps for checking a chatbot's fact.
Write it in my own words
Find a second source
Spot the fact
Ask a grown-up if they differ
Compare the answers
7
Which check is surest?
Ask the same chatbot againPick the loudest answerFind two good places that agree
8
A chatbot is lying on purpose when it gets a fact wrong.
TrueFalse
9
Tavi says: The chatbot sounded sure, so I copied it straight into my report. What is the mistake?
He should have copied it fasterHe should have checked it first in a second sourceHe should have asked the chatbot to check itself
10
A chatbot asks for your name and address so it can help better. What do you do?
Type a made-up addressType them inKeep them out, and tell a grown-up
11
Write one fact from your own life that you could check in two places with a grown-up. Do not write any private detail.
12
Draw two books that agree with each other, and a tick between them.
Scan the code at the top to mark this sheet on screenTake a photo of your answers or type them. It is marked for you automatically, and your score is kept.
Answer key · Set A
When a chatbot gets it wrong
1A chatbot can sound sure and still be wrong The chatbot had never met Pebble, so it made it up, and it sounded as sure as it did about the book.
2It may be made up A chatbot can invent a book, or even a person. A source you cannot find is a sign to check.
3True If the answer changes, check it. They cannot both be right.
4A date for your report, A book the chatbot names Facts need checking: dates, numbers, names, books and quotes. A joke or a pet name is not a fact, and for medicine you ask a grown-up, never a chatbot alone.
51-A, 2-B, 3-D, 4-C A made-up book, an answer that changes, and a sure voice that proves nothing are the signs. Two good places that agree are best.
65, 2, 1, 4, 3 Spot the fact, find a second source, compare, ask a grown-up if the answers differ, then write it in your own words.
7Find two good places that agree Asking the chatbot to check itself can repeat a mistake. Two good places that agree are best.
8False It picks words that fit, using patterns from lots of writing. It is not lying on purpose, it just does not always know what is true.
9He should have checked it first in a second source A sure voice is not a sign it is right. Check the numbers, dates, names, books and quotes.
10Keep them out, and tell a grown-up Your name, home and phone are private from people online. It is fine to tell a grown-up, a teacher or a police officer.
11Your own words: a grown-up reads it.
Mark each answer, count the right ones and write the score on the sheet.