by Ellie Haberl; illustrated by Stuart Sachs

Summary:

Your Own Song introduces the topics of recommendation algorithms and how people are influenced in their likes and dislikes.

Illustration of a hand holding a cellphone that shows an image of a girl with long hair, wearing headphones.AI Themes:

Recommendation Algorithms 

Read the Story:

Original version (word count: 1271)
Short version (word count: 750)

Download the Story:

Original version (pdf)
Short version (pdf)

Listen to the Story:

Your Own Song Audio (5:03 minutes)

Discussion Prompts:

  • How do you feel about AI that recommends songs, videos, shows, or movies (such as Spotify, YouTube, Netflix, etc.)?

  • Do you think children should be allowed to freely interact with smart speakers like "Eliza" or Amazon's "Alexa?" Why or why not?

  • How, if at all, did this story influence your feelings about recommendation algorithms?

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