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How to equip students to lead with character as they navigate A.I.’s impact on cyberbullying, the environment, and reputations

A.I. + Cyberbullying: How to equip students to lead with character 

The Gist: New research shows that A.I. can be used to create messages that impact students emotionally, just like human-written content, and not always in a positive way. In a recent study, participants reported similar or even higher levels of discomfort when reading A.I.-generated messages compared with human-written ones. While this presents a new type of cyberbullying that our students need help navigating, it also creates an opportunity for schools and students to take action. By teaching students how to recognize harmful content, make positive choices online, and navigate A.I. responsibly, students can turn emerging technologies into tools for connection, empathy, and leadership.

What to Know: 

The study found that even people familiar with A.I. struggled to identify A.I.-generated content, highlighting the need for intentional education. As A.I. systems can produce content that feels personal and realistic, these messages can be especially upsetting for students and are created instantly, anonymously, and at scale, making them harder to track and address. 

It’s important to remember that behind every A.I.-generated message, there is a person who wrote the prompt. So while education around how to identify A.I.-generated content is essential, equally important is teaching students how to make high-character decisions online and choosing to uphold their values, act ethically, and respond with empathy as they navigate technology. 

TSI’s Take: With powerful technology comes great responsibility. A.I. can be an amazing thought partner or study buddy, but students need a strong foundation of making choices that align with their values as they navigate it. Help your students play to their core by reminding them that: 

• Their reputation is built on their daily actions and words. Encourage them to act with kindness, honesty, and integrity, even in small moments. 
• Who students hang out with shapes their own reputation. Encourage them to surround themselves with people who share their values and lift them up.
• It’s okay to make mistakes. Nobody is perfect, and students might mess up. They can still have a good reputation by admitting what they did and trying to do better next time.

Ready to help students build A.I. literacy and recognize the difference between helpful and harmful uses of technology? Preview the #WinAtSocial Lesson, Building a lasting, positive reputation on social media, where students learn how their reputation on social media impacts future opportunities and discuss the impact social media has on our opinions of others. 

The hidden environmental cost of A.I. videos

The Gist: Deepfake videos made with A.I. are becoming more common across social media, showing everything from reimagined movie scenes to famous people brought back to life. While A.I. creativity can be exciting, experts are warning that these tools have a hidden cost: the impact they leave on the environment. Producing ultra-realistic A.I. videos requires massive data centers that run nonstop, using large amounts of energy and water to cool their systems. Behind every viral A.I. clip is a real-world demand for power, and that comes with consequences for the planet.

What to Know: As A.I. tools grow in popularity, millions of people are experimenting with video generators and image creators that use heavy computing power. Each time a person makes or shares A.I.-generated content, servers must work harder, requiring fresh water to cool their systems. The more A.I. is used just for entertainment or fun creations, the higher the environmental impact becomes. This doesn’t mean we should stop using artificial intelligence altogether. In fact, companies like Microsoft are starting to shift to zero-water cooling systems, leading to teaching opportunities to encourage students to navigate A.I. mindfully and explore possible new careers in sustainability.

TSI’s Take: When A.I. is used as a thought partner for innovation and education, it can spark creativity and help solve meaningful challenges, providing more value than low-quality content produced for likes and comments. Schools can help students navigate A.I. responsibly by encouraging them to:

• Rely on their own thinking: Technology makes it easy to find quick answers, but the best learning happens when students take time to think deeply and problem-solve on their own. Encourage them to pause before turning to A.I. and explore different ways to tackle a challenge using their creativity, curiosity, and critical thinking skills.
• Create with purpose: Use A.I. as a partner to brainstorm, design, and explore new ideas that educate or inspire others, not just for fun or viral content.
• Be mindful when using A.I.: Remind students that every A.I. video or image uses real energy and water. Creating intentionally helps protect the planet while still allowing room for creativity.
• Be curious about the wider impact: Encourage students to explore A.I.’s environmental impact and discover how innovative companies are reducing their footprint, opening doors to emerging careers in sustainability and technology.

Ready to help students navigate A.I. in ways that are both creative and conscious? Preview the #WinAtSocial Lesson, Exploring the environmental impact of A.I. use, where students learn to think critically about technology, use it as a thought partner, and make responsible choices that reflect their values.

When Deepfakes Cross the Line: How to help students respect others while navigating A.I.

The Gist: OpenAI’s A.I. video generator, Sora 2, has sparked both excitement and controversy. The tool allows users to create realistic videos from text prompts, but a recent trend of using it to make offensive or disrespectful deepfakes of public figures, including historical leaders and celebrities, has emerged. After users created inappropriate depictions of Martin Luther King Jr., OpenAI blocked content that featured his likeness and announced new guardrails for historical and public figures. Similar incidents have also emerged with deepfake videos showing celebrities shouting racial slurs or engaging in offensive behavior. These examples highlight how A.I. technology, when used without limits, can distort truth and harm reputations.

What to Know: Sora 2’s rapid rise has shown both the promise and the challenges of A.I.-generated videos. Within days of its release, it attracted millions of users experimenting with creative storytelling, but it also increased “A.I. slop”—low-quality, mass-produced videos that flood social media feeds. Some users found ways to manipulate the system, producing deepfakes that misrepresented real people or violated basic ethical standards. OpenAI responded by tightening its content filters and allowing public figures to opt out of being featured in generated videos. These challenges remind us that A.I. tools are powerful but imperfect. 

TSI’s Take: Should students choose to use artificial intelligence, the choices they make reflect who they are and what they value. Just because A.I. can make something possible doesn’t mean it’s the right choice. Schools play a key role in helping students recognize when and how to use A.I. responsibly, encouraging creativity while guiding them to make high-character decisions that align with their values. Encourage students to:

• Play to their core: Explore new ideas and perspectives while respecting others. Recreating or altering real people without consent goes against honesty, empathy, and integrity.
• Think before they generate: Before making a video or image, ask if it adds value, spreads positivity, or helps others understand something new. Intent matters as much as innovation.
• Be an upstander, not a bystander: When students choose to be an upstander—by interrupting mean behavior or speaking up—we can stop the spread of harmful A.I.-generated videos and support others.

Ready to help students learn how to navigate technology with empathy and ethics? Preview the #WinAtSocial Lesson, Navigating hurtful memes and embarrassing photos, where students learn how sharing, liking, or re-posting hurtful images can make the harm worse, even if you weren’t the one who created them.

By combining awareness with character-driven guidance, educators can equip students to navigate a world of rapidly evolving technology while building safer, more respectful online communities. Ready to help students play to their core as they navigate A.I., social media, and more? Request a demo of The Social Institute’s approach to modern life skills that impact their learning, well-being, and futures.

The Social Institute (TSI) is the leader in equipping students, families, and educators with modern life skills to impact learning, well-being, and students’ futures. Through #WinAtSocial, our interactive, peer-to-peer learning platform, we integrate teacher PD, family resources, student voice insights, and more to empower entire school communities to make positive choices online and offline. #WinAtSocial Lessons teach essential skills while capturing student voice and actionable insights for educators. These insights help educators maintain a healthy school culture, foster high-impact teaching, and build meaningful relationships with families. Our unique, student-respected approach empowers and equips students authentically, enabling our solution to increase classroom participation and improve student-teacher relationships. Through our one-of-a-kind lesson development process, we create lessons for a variety of core and elective classes, incorporating timely topics such as social media, A.I., screen time, misinformation, and current events to help schools stay proactive in supporting student health, happiness, and academic success.