This Artificial Intelligence & the Workplace lesson plan is included in the AI Toolbox for Catholic Schools from The Religion Teacher. The other lesson plans in the toolkit feature other topics: AI & Bias, AI & Privacy, and AI & War. To access all of these lesson plans as well as tools to develop your school and class AI policies, download your copy of the AI Toolbox for Catholic Schools.
AI in the Workplace Lesson Objectives
- SWBAT apply the Church’s teaching on the dignity of the human person and human work to the impact of AI in the workplace.
- SWBAT analyze case studies of ethical dilemmas AI in the workplace.
Lesson Activities & Assessment
Hook: Work and Human Dignity
Write two statements on the board:
“People are more valuable because of the work they do.”
“People are valuable regardless of their work.”
Have students defend the first statement regardless of their personal opinions, then have them defend the second statement in the same way.
Finally, have the students share their true reactions to the statements. Essentially, you want them to discuss the connection between humanity and productivity.
Present: The Church on Work and AI
Read the following paragraph from the Church’s recent document on Artificial Intelligence, Anitqua et nova:
68. AI is currently eliminating the need for some jobs that were once performed by humans. If AI is used to replace human workers rather than complement them, there is a “substantial risk of disproportionate benefit for the few at the price of the impoverishment of many.” Additionally, as AI becomes more powerful, there is an associated risk that human labor may lose its value in the economic realm. This is the logical consequence of the technocratic paradigm: a world of humanity enslaved to efficiency, where, ultimately, the cost of humanity must be cut. Yet, human lives are intrinsically valuable, independent of their economic output. Nevertheless, the “current model,” Pope Francis explains, “does not appear to favor an investment in efforts to help the slow, the weak, or the less talented to find opportunities in life.” In light of this, “we cannot allow a tool as powerful and indispensable as Artificial Intelligence to reinforce such a paradigm, but rather, we must make Artificial Intelligence a bulwark against its expansion.”
Then with input from the students, summarize the paragraph using the following sentence starters:
- AI should not be used to _____ human workers. [answer: replace]
- Instead, AI should _____ human workers. [answer: complement]
- The Church warns that we will become enslaved not to AI but to __________. [answer: efficiency]
- Pope Francis warns that advances in AI will not help people who are ______. [answer: slow, weak, less talented]
Activity: AI in the Workplace
Provide students with a list of areas in which AI is already replacing human workers:
- Customer Service Representatives: AI chat bots and verbal assistants have replaced call centers for customer service support.
- Warehouse Staff: AI-powered robots stack shelves, organize products, and prepare shipments for delivery.
- Delivery Drivers: Self-driving cars and delivery robots have replaced delivery drivers.
- Cashiers: Digital kiosks have replaced human cashiers in grocery stores, restaurants, and shopping centers.
- Writers: AI-generated articles have replaced articles written by journalists.
In each of these cases, companies choose to use AI to save time and money. AI takes less time to complete each of these tasks and saves on the cost of paying employees.
Imagine you had a meeting with the manager or owner of any of the companies replacing the human jobs with AI. Make a list of arguments you would present to them to hire employees instead of using AI.
Download and use the AI in the Workplace Worksheet.
Assessment: The Owner & AI Exit Ticket
Imagine you are the owner of a new restaurant. You meet with a tech company that offers to lease AI-powered technology to replace human workers. They recommend check-out kiosks instead of cashiers and delivery bots instead of food delivery drivers. They also recommend an AI bot that will take food orders and reservations over the phone. The company presents charts and data detailing the amount of time and money you will save by us AI instead of hiring employees to fill these roles.
If you strongly believed in the dignity of the human person and the need to complement and not replace human work as a restaurant owner, then what reasons would you give for declining the tech company’s offer?
AI Toolkit for Catholic Schools
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming education at an unprecedented pace. As Catholic school leaders and educators, it is crucial to navigate these changes thoughtfully and ethically. The Religion Teacher’s AI Toolkit for Catholic Schools offers a comprehensive resource designed to help teachers and administrators reflect on the responsible use of AI in Catholic education.
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