Debating a Topic with AI

Overview

Students debate a topic with a generative AI chatbot, trying to persuade it to their side and then reflecting on the experience.

Why Use This?

Using generative AI can enhance discussions, particularly in self-paced courses where students work independently, such as in the UW Flex and Independent Learning programs. This activity allows students to have an immediate, back-and-forth conversation, offering a more engaging way to explore an assigned topic and practice their debate skills. This activity can also benefit collaborative courses with smaller class sizes.

How Does It Work?

Students are given a prompt in which they ask an AI chatbot to play a certain role in a debate (in this case, the role is as a U.S. legislator who makes decisions regarding the regulation of dietary supplements). After assigning the AI chatbot a role, the student then debates it on a topic, first offering their stance and then trying to persuade the “legislator.” Finally, they are asked to submit a copy of the chats and reflect on the activity.

Here are sample instructions for the activity:

Sample Instructions

Step 1. Choose two AI tools to debate with. Examples include ChatGPT, Copilot, Perplexity, Claude, etc.

Step 2. Use the following prompt for each AI tool you choose. Feel free to revise the prompt to improve your experience with the AI bot:

  • “You are a key legislator who makes decisions and changes to legislation related to dietary supplements in the United States. Have a respectful debate with me about whether the legislation should be more or less stringent. Wait to respond until I have shared my stance with you first and then you can respond and we can continue our debate back and forth. Here is my stance: _____”
  • If you exceed the character limits of the AI tool, you can break the prompt up into chunks. You could submit your stance as a separate, follow-up prompt.

Step 3. Respond at least 2-3 times during the debate. Try to persuade the “legislator.”

Step 4. Be sure to include a resource that supports your position.

Step 5. Submit the following in a single Word document:

  • A copy of each of your chats
  • Responses to these reflection questions: Which AI tools did you choose? Which did you like better and why? What surprised you most about using AI or what was something interesting you learned?

Keep In Mind

  • AI tools are not perfect and the quality of responses can vary between different tools.
  • It is important to review the chats for accuracy and provide the correct information where appropriate. Students may not have the expertise to recognize false information, and AI tools can sometimes “hallucinate” or make up their own information to answer a prompt, including making up false or nonexistent sources.