Exploring the AI Jungle
Picturebook and Teachers’ Guide
2024
Picturebook and Teachers’ Guide
2024
Exploring the AI Jungle is a collaboration between three people: Judy, a computer scientist; Laura, a biologist; and me, a visual designer. From the beginning—as Laura, Judy, and I explored the most effective ways to convey the findings of Laura’s report—we felt as though we were venturing into unknown territory together. There was no fixed destination, just plenty of possibilities waiting to be explored!
That’s when the metaphor clicked: what if we used the concept of a dense jungle, teeming with unknown creatures, to explore and explain AI in schools?
Our idea was to create a book that would not only explain basic facts, but also encourage young people to reflect on their own feelings about AI and its place in education. Exploring the AI Jungle can be used as a starting point for conversations that matter to all of us. I wanted this picture book to be beautifully crafted and visually intriguing, bringing Judy’s words to life—a book to be treasured.
Today, people growing up with AI face real questions about its benefits, limitations, and potential harms. This is why the jungle metaphor is so powerful; it gives us a way to explore these issues in a creative, open, and human-centered way.
There are some in the creative industry who feel, at best, ambivalent about AI-generated imagery. Especially with the recent surge of AI-generated images online and in the media, which is something I personally find uncanny and unsettling. That’s why for this book, I opted not to use any generated imagery, and instead we called out the talented photographers whose work helped us illustrate the jungle metaphors in an engaging way.
From a design perspective, I wanted the picture book to be beautifully crafted and visually intriguing, bringing Judy’s words to life—the kind of book I would have loved to read as a kid.
Teachers’ guide
One of the most appealing aspects of Exploring the AI Jungle, and the teachers’ guide that accompanies it, is that Judy’s warmth and humour shines throughout. One reviewer told us, ‘I gave my son your book, he felt very special. He's been reading it when he comes home from school, and we've been using different tools together to explore some of the points in the book. The glue pizza made him laugh a lot!’
One reader even told us, “There’s nothing out there like this.” And they’re right! This book and guide couldn’t have existed before now. It’s a product of this moment, intended to spark conversations about GenAI’s current and future role in education.
Read the book, join the conversation!
The picture book will be available in school libraries across Scotland. You can order your own copy of the picture book and accompanying teachers’ guide or read the ‘scrolly-telling’ version online.
As Judy notes and Laura’s research shows, AI technologies are evolving at a rapid pace, but educators and policy makers must take the time to think carefully about how AI could be used in learning so they can get the approach right in the medium/long term. Exploring the AI Jungle and its teachers’ guide were developed as resources for teachers and policymakers in Scotland, but the ideas it explores are universal. This book is our way of contributing to the ongoing conversation, offering an exploration of the jungle of AI in education—its incredible potential, as well as its possible pitfalls.
Exploring the AI Jungle was created, researched and authored by Judy Robertson and Laura Meagher. Graphic design by Elspeth Maxwell. The authors are grateful to the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Bridging AI Responsible Divides Programme for research grant AH/Z505560/1.