My latest article in the Geographical Association Teaching Geography journal, co-authored with Cora Yang, explores the idea of AI’s ‘๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐๐’:
– the gaps formed by what AI systems are not trained on
– how those absences quietly reinforce bias in how people, places and identities are portrayed in the classroom
There is also a free resource to resist this phenomena (see the carousel!).
“๐๐ ๐๐ง ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ซ ๐ซ๐๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ข๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐จ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐ฒ, ๐ข๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ซ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ซ๐๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ข๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฅ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ๐.”
When we use AI uncritically, we risk not just misrepresenting marginalised identities, but misrepresenting everyone. The negative spaces compound each other.
Working with Cora Yang has genuinely shaped how I think about this. She has been doing remarkable work with schools in Hong Kong and beyond, and I hope this is just the beginning of her ideas reaching academic audiences.
Here are three you can take into the classroom now:
1. ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ฐ๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐
Common training datasets have over 50% of their content from English websites, creating a US and European cultural bias. Ask students to place AI-generated information alongside local knowledge, personal experience, or non-English sources, and to name what is missing. Make the ‘negative space’ visible.
2. ๐๐๐ค๐ ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ญ
Always cite AI use. Make it a visible, critiqued resource rather than a hidden one that can slowly erode trust, and invite students to do the same.
3. ๐๐๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐๐
Our pedagogies should help students ๐ฅ๐๐๐ซ๐ง ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฌ, ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฆ. The ten questions we share in the article give students a framework to interrogate AI outputs, contribute personal expertise, and keep their own voice in their work.
Geography is uniquely placed to address the risks of AI, because representation, context and lived reality are already at the heart of what we do.
Let’s turn the ‘negative space’ of AI into a positive space for every student in our classrooms.
You can read the full article here: https://portal.geography.org.uk/journal/view/J9781899086505
#TeachingGeography #DEIJ #AIinEducation #antiracistpedagogy
