Skills4AI

Developing critical thinking skills when viewing AI-generated videos

  • 30/04/2026
  • Greta du Velay

Young people in general, who are heavy users of social media.

Every day, millions of AI-generated videos circulate on social media — and it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish them from real footage. These videos may show people saying things they never actually said, events that never took place, or situations fabricated to influence public opinion. Behind them, there are often ulterior motives: to deceive, to frighten, to manipulate. Learning to spot them means refusing to be manipulated — and it is a skill as useful as reading or counting.

 

  • Work with authentic, up-to-date materials.
  • Move from the role of observer to that of critic, and then to that of advisor.
  • A creative activity designed to consolidate learning.
  • Encourage ongoing critical thinking about digital content.

Paradoxically, AI can become a valuable ally in learning to be wary of it. By asking a tool such as ChatGPT to generate a fake headline, a fake comment or a fake article live in front of the pupils, we show them in a practical way — and far more effectively than a theoretical lesson — just how quickly misleading information can be produced. Seeing the machine at work means understanding from the inside how manipulation works, and that is precisely what develops the reflex to question things.

 

Video generation tools (Veo, Sora, Grok, etc.) are evolving very rapidly. Detection indicators identified today may quickly become obsolete: it is important to focus on a critical approach rather than on a fixed list of criteria.

Objectives

  • Identify videos and news sites created by AI.
  • Develop critical thinking skills when engaging with digital media.
  • Understand the objectives (political, social) behind this content.
  • Create an informational poster to raise awareness among peers.

Example of implementation

Here is an example of a teaching session designed to develop critical thinking skills:

“True or false?” — Spotting an AI-generated video

Step 1 — Icebreaker (5 mins) Without saying a word, show two short videos side by side: one real, one generated by AI. Ask just one question: “Which one is fake?” Let the pupils vote by a show of hands. The aim is to create a surprise – many get it wrong, and that’s exactly where we start.

Step 2 — Creating the scenario (8 mins) Open ChatGPT (or another AI tool) live in front of the class. Ask it to write a fake, sensational video title on a topic that appeals to the pupils (sport, music, video games, etc.). Show how quickly and convincingly it does this. Ask the question: “If you saw this on TikTok, would you believe it?“

Step 3 — Compiling a list of clues (10 mins) Working in groups, pupils discuss what made them suspicious about the fake video: unusual movements, blurry hands, a robotic voice, inconsistencies in the background… The teacher notes these down on the board. Together, they draw up a mini-checklist of 5 to 6 key points to look out for.

Step 4 — The right reflex (7 mins) Spend two minutes explaining the 3V rule: Verify the source, Verify elsewhere, be wary of emotional dizziness (things that shock or stir strong emotions are often designed to stop us thinking). The pupils copy the checklist onto a sticky note to stick in their notebooks.

What they take away with them: a practical checklist, the memory of having seen the machine generate fake news in real time, and the instinct to think twice before sharing.

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