Mary Gates Endowment for Students

Ruth Karen Nakigozi

Project

Exploring AI literacy through transformational games

The goal of my project is to investigate how interactive, transformational games help students recognize, identify, and understand bias in AI systems. As part of this project’s broader summer study, I engaged 17 youth participants in transformational games where they explored how human-generated data shapes AI outputs, how biases manifest in these outputs, and what this means for fairness and representation. Students actively participated in AI decision-making processes, making the invisible mechanics of bias visible and personally relevant. We employed a mixed-methods approach combining experiential learning, qualitative observation, and reflective analysis. As lead game designer, I facilitated two games where students used generative AI tools to create outputs. Through this hands-on experience, students observed how societal patterns and stereotypes influence AI-generated results and how refined prompts yielded better images.

What I learned

Through this hands-on project, I developed practical skills in LLM prompt engineering and learned strategies for creating engaging educational games for youth. Serving as a co-first author on the resulting paper allowed me to strengthen my abilities in analyzing research papers, articulating research methodologies, learning about researcher positionality, and navigating the academic paper submission process.

Advice for future applicants

To make the application manageable, break it down into smaller steps and begin early to utilize writing and peer support services. Above all, choose a project you feel passionate about working on, you've got this!

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