GenAISiS T.R.A.I.N. project completed
GenAISiS T.R.A.I.N. project completed
The GenAISiS T.R.A.I.N. project was built upon a previously successful research initiative, Generative Artificial Intelligence Skills in Schools (GenAISiS) which engaged underrepresented Scottish school pupils in the co-creation of educational resources on Generative AI (GenAI). GenAISiS created a series of animated cartoon stories and an openly accessible educational toolkit with lesson plans and learning activities on ethical AI use, privacy awareness, digital literacy and critical thinking.
The aim of GenAISiS T.R.A.I.N. was to demonstrate clear routes to impact for the delivery of these resources, leveraging synergy and collaboration with an existing successful programme of public engagement at Aberdeen Science Centre, that was going to be used as a pilot for building a train-the-trainer open access model for the sustainable delivery of the co-created resources.
Empirical insights and evaluation data from public sessions informed the development of the training programme that aims to equip future facilitators with knowledge, tools and confidence to independently deliver GenAISiS resources across schools, science centres and public libraries.
GenAISiS introduces key GenAI concepts, such as prompt engineering, ethical and responsible AI use and online privacy, all framed within a fictional narrative featuring Echo Hey-Aye, the first ever GenAI-powered teacher at a fictional school, Linden Stone.
The project achieved and exceeded the following objectives:
Objective 1. To train a dedicated facilitator to lead sessions at Aberdeen Science Centre (ASC) aligned with planned public engagement events that attract a high number of participants. (it trained two facilitators).
Objective 2. To deliver interactive GenAI literacy sessions using GenAISiS co-created resources, collecting empirical insights and evaluating their impact.
Objective 3. Based on these experiences, to design an online train-the-trainer programme that will equip future facilitators with the knowledge, tools and confidence to independently deliver GenAISiS resources - cartoon stories and toolkit - across schools, science centres and online platforms.
Objective 4. To run two pilot online training events to widen the adoption of the GenAISiS resources and to build the foundations of a sustainable community of trainers who can champion and extend the programme’s reach and impact. (it delivered an entire 4-part short course).
Activities Completed
Objective 1.
The project began with creating more extensive versions of a selected set of activities that had previously been developed as part of the project GenAISiS, a couple of which involved collecting additional empirical data from schools to further co-create them with both children and young people. An overview of these activities is given below.
Activity 2 – Bias Busters Hallucination Hunters
This activity engages young people in exploring how generative AI creates images, with a focus on understanding AI inaccuracies (‘artificial hallucinations’) and bias. During the empirical phase of this project, students were asked to generate images using AI, based on prompts related to UN Sustainable Development Goals - including poverty, health, wellbeing, education, gender equality, climate change and clean water. All resources have, therefore, been co‑created with young people, making them age appropriate, safe and aligned with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Activity 3 – Bot or Not
‘Bot or Not’ is an interactive classroom activity that provides short open‑ended sentences that have been completed by children, teachers and AI tools. Students examine the responses and try to guess who has written each. The activity supports safe AI use and building thoughtful and reflective learners.
Activity 4 – The Great Art Guess-Off
‘The Great Art Guess Off’ is an interactive activity in which young people, artists, and generative AI tools each produce images related to climate change (specifically depicting a jaguar), and participants are invited to determine which images were created by each The activity includes real artists’ and children’s’ works and provides a baseline for understanding what intentional, skilled artwork looks like. The activity strengthens visual and digital literacy, helping learners to recognise copyright issues as well as discuss the ethical and responsible use of AI.
Activity 5 – AI Ethicopolis
‘AI Ethicopolis’ is a co‑created ‘Monopoly’ style board game designed to help students explore AI ethics, safety, creativity and responsible use through playful, scenario‑based learning. The activity builds agency and confidence in developing AI literacy.
Activity 6 – The AI Chatbot Artist
This activity invites learners to explore AI prompting by trying to recreate a real photograph of a cat. Learners are asked to write the perfect AI prompt that would recreate the real photograph of the cat, describing the image in a way AI could understand, thinking carefully about every visible detail. This activity helps students to develop AI prompting skills, also known as ‘prompt engineering’.
Ethicopolis Activity
Activity 1 – AI Fact Cards
This activity offers a friendly and accessible introduction to generative AI using Fact Cards. The Fact Cards form a structured, visually engaging set of learning resources designed to introduce young people to key concepts in generative AI (e.g., AI bias, artificial hallucinations, AI Black Box, Humanising the AI).
This activity offers a friendly and accessible introduction to generative AI using Fact Cards. The Fact Cards form a structured, visually engaging set of learning resources designed to introduce young people to key concepts in generative AI (e.g., AI bias, artificial hallucinations, AI Black Box, Humanising the AI).
Activity 2 – Bias Busters Hallucination Hunters
This activity engages young people in exploring how generative AI creates images, with a focus on understanding AI inaccuracies (‘artificial hallucinations’) and bias. During the empirical phase of this project, students were asked to generate images using AI, based on prompts related to UN Sustainable Development Goals - including poverty, health, wellbeing, education, gender equality, climate change and clean water. All resources have, therefore, been co‑created with young people, making them age appropriate, safe and aligned with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Activity 3 – Bot or Not
‘Bot or Not’ is an interactive classroom activity that provides short open‑ended sentences that have been completed by children, teachers and AI tools. Students examine the responses and try to guess who has written each. The activity supports safe AI use and building thoughtful and reflective learners.
Activity 4 – The Great Art Guess-Off
‘The Great Art Guess Off’ is an interactive activity in which young people, artists, and generative AI tools each produce images related to climate change (specifically depicting a jaguar), and participants are invited to determine which images were created by each The activity includes real artists’ and children’s’ works and provides a baseline for understanding what intentional, skilled artwork looks like. The activity strengthens visual and digital literacy, helping learners to recognise copyright issues as well as discuss the ethical and responsible use of AI.
Activity 5 – AI Ethicopolis
‘AI Ethicopolis’ is a co‑created ‘Monopoly’ style board game designed to help students explore AI ethics, safety, creativity and responsible use through playful, scenario‑based learning. The activity builds agency and confidence in developing AI literacy.
Activity 6 – The AI Chatbot Artist
This activity invites learners to explore AI prompting by trying to recreate a real photograph of a cat. Learners are asked to write the perfect AI prompt that would recreate the real photograph of the cat, describing the image in a way AI could understand, thinking carefully about every visible detail. This activity helps students to develop AI prompting skills, also known as ‘prompt engineering’.
Ethicopolis Activity
Following the development phase, two facilitators, with experience of delivering STEM-related sessions (staff at Aberdeen Science Centre) were trained by the project team to deliver the GenAiSiS resources via a full run‑through of the workshop that took the shape of demonstration sessions, replicating how the workshop should run. The staff had the opportunity to also practise via iterative deliveries of the sessions and through shadowing.
In addition, facilitators were provided with both electronic and print material as well as other workshop artifacts.
Objective 2
Training session at Aberdeen Science Session
Aberdeen Science Centre GenAiSiS Facilitator, Alex Ritchie
Aberdeen Science Centre GenAiSiS Facilitator, Jack Dunbar
In February and March 2026, a series of interactive sessions were organised in Aberdeen Science Centre titled “Young Voices, Smart Choices: Exploring AI Together”.
These were organised in a total of 10 hands-on, 45 minutes sessions that engaged a total of 52 parents/adults and 56 children, aged from 5 to 13.
Additionally, GenAISiS activities were showcased via a stall that was available to all visitors to the centre. Throughout February and March 2026, Aberdeen Science Centre had around 6,750 general visitors and 2,293 school pupils and teachers, making for a total of just over 9,000 people.
Participants were able to a) Understand how large language models (LLMs) make predictions, b) Explore differences between human and AI-generated responses, c) Develop critical thinking about emotional depth, lived experiences and creativity and d) Engage in collaborative and creative activities to evaluate AI outputs.
A smaller stall still remained open to the public throughout April 2026.
Objective 3
“Young Voices, Smart Choices: Exploring AI Together”: Event Promotion by ASC
Families taking part in the activities at Aberdeen Science Centre
Additionally, GenAISiS activities were showcased via a stall that was available to all visitors to the centre. Throughout February and March 2026, Aberdeen Science Centre had around 6,750 general visitors and 2,293 school pupils and teachers, making for a total of just over 9,000 people.
Aberdeen Science Centre Stall – GenAISiS T.R.A.I.N. project
Participants were able to a) Understand how large language models (LLMs) make predictions, b) Explore differences between human and AI-generated responses, c) Develop critical thinking about emotional depth, lived experiences and creativity and d) Engage in collaborative and creative activities to evaluate AI outputs.
A smaller stall still remained open to the public throughout April 2026.
Objective 3
Although originally the plan was to only deliver two pilot sessions to also test these activities online with an international audience, a full pilot course was instead developed and ran via the Robert Gordon University Moodle as a freely accessible module with total number of 131 registered participants.
Objective 4
Total number of register participants with their roles
As part of the online activities, four online sessions were delivered:
Session 1 - Introduction to AI & the GenAISiS / TRAIN Project
Session 2 - Game 1: Bias Buster & Hallucination Hunters
Session 3 - Game 2: Bot or Not?
Session 4 - Game 3: The Great Art Guess‑Off.
The sessions were received very positively. The following feedback illustrates this.
Testimonials
“I am grateful for the opportunity to have participated in and successfully completed the GenAISiS TRAIN – Generative Artificial Intelligence Skills in Schools: Teaching, Reaching and Activating - Instructors Network Train the Trainer programme.
It was truly a valuable and enriching experience held from March to April 2026. The sessions were highly insightful, and I especially appreciated how complex research concepts were transformed into engaging and practical learning experiences. The main focus on critical areas such as AI-driven misinformation, data safety, and bias was particularly impactful. Mainly focused on empowering educators with responsible and innovative AI skills for the future of learning.
My sincere thanks to Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, for organising this impactful initiative, and special appreciation to Dr Konstantina Martzoukou , Associate Professor and Principal Investigator, for her visionary leadership and commitment to advancing AI education.
I would also like to acknowledge the support of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, Responsible AI UK, and all partner organisations, including CILIP and the wider Library and Information community.
Honoured to be part of a global movement shaping ethical, inclusive, and forward-thinking AI education”.
Manuja Wickramasinghe
Lecturer | Researcher | Designer | Art Director | Animation of the Year in W-LOC -2020 🌏 | UNESCO'S (Youth As Researchers) 2022 | LSUE 2024 🇨🇭. Colombo District, Western Province, Sri Lanka
“Can I just say that I am wildly impressed by all of this so far. These are all of the messages that I have been WISHING were in existing training materials about Gen Ai. You've included really practical stuff about how the underlying technology works without being too simplistic or abstract. This is missing in every kids lesson I've seen so far!! Great work” (workshop participant).
“I did a lesson this week where I used AI images to show learners AI is not always accurate and to cross check sources etc. I have started using the language of AI hallucination with learners - they think that is a good way to explain it. Thank you for the ideas!”
“This is excellent - I support creative arts students at HE level and all of them I have spoken to are really against AI and don't want to engage with it at all, which concerns me as it is being built into everything, so thank you for this!”
“The workshop that the team have put together and started delivering is a fantastic activity to raise awareness of the limitations and challenges of working with generative AI. It encourages thoughtful conversation from all ages and discusses the topic in an engaging and accessible way, meaning that anyone who attends is leaving having learned something! In a world that is becoming more dependent on AI, the work the team is doing with this workshop is invaluable and highly recommended to anyone and everyone!” (Jack Dunbar, Aberdeen Science Centre Facilitator).
Acknowledgments
Thank you to Responsible AI UK for their support of this work, and to Aberdeen Science Centre for their collaboration. We also extend our gratitude to the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals in Scotland (CILIPS) and the School Librarians, Emma Grey (Forfar Academy), Diane Scott (Hazlehead Academy) and Ioannis Panayiotakis (Eastwood High School) for their valuable contributions and support throughout this project. Sincere thanks to the families who took part in the activities and whose engagement made this project possible, as well as to the young people whose creative talent originally brought this project to life.
Thank you to Mr Tim Marsh for allowing us to use the beautiful art piece ‘God of the Upper World’ and to Ms Alexandra Gapski (Rowan Lewgalon AI Art) for the fascinating art piece of the jaguar.
Finally, thank you so much to Anthony Lawson from Wolf & Thistle (Email: hello@wolfandthistle.co.uk, Instagram: @wolf.thistle) who, so generously donated their creative expertise to produce the project dissemination videos.
This research was supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council [grant number EP/Y009800/1], through funding from Responsible Ai UK (RAI-SK-BID-00024 & CC-00111). The author gratefully acknowledges their support. This project makes use of animated tools developed by Plotagon https://www.plotagon.com/. We gratefully acknowledge Plotagon for their support and for enabling the creative adaptation of their characters and scene assets within this educational material. All Plotagon-related content is used with permission and in accordance with agreed terms, with full respect for the intellectual property of Plotagon.
Thank you to Responsible AI UK for their support of this work, and to Aberdeen Science Centre for their collaboration. We also extend our gratitude to the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals in Scotland (CILIPS) and the School Librarians, Emma Grey (Forfar Academy), Diane Scott (Hazlehead Academy) and Ioannis Panayiotakis (Eastwood High School) for their valuable contributions and support throughout this project. Sincere thanks to the families who took part in the activities and whose engagement made this project possible, as well as to the young people whose creative talent originally brought this project to life.
Thank you to Mr Tim Marsh for allowing us to use the beautiful art piece ‘God of the Upper World’ and to Ms Alexandra Gapski (Rowan Lewgalon AI Art) for the fascinating art piece of the jaguar.
Finally, thank you so much to Anthony Lawson from Wolf & Thistle (Email: hello@wolfandthistle.co.uk, Instagram: @wolf.thistle) who, so generously donated their creative expertise to produce the project dissemination videos.
This research was supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council [grant number EP/Y009800/1], through funding from Responsible Ai UK (RAI-SK-BID-00024 & CC-00111). The author gratefully acknowledges their support. This project makes use of animated tools developed by Plotagon https://www.plotagon.com/. We gratefully acknowledge Plotagon for their support and for enabling the creative adaptation of their characters and scene assets within this educational material. All Plotagon-related content is used with permission and in accordance with agreed terms, with full respect for the intellectual property of Plotagon.
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