Prof. Scanlan’s PSA Example

Note: my PSA is not AI-themed.

 

Week 2: Brainstorm, title/question, research, building sources and making a reference list [20 points]

  • Brainstorm notes:
  1. I’m interested in workplace issues
  2. Why does the male/female pay gap still exist?
  3. How does the legal system allow this inequity to continue?
  4. Jobs for the future? What will jobs in the future look like in terms of gender fairness?

 

  • Five possible topics [notice how I shifted from workplace fairness to celebrities and gender–this is okay to do]:

-Celebrities and how influential they are

-Celebrities and gender

-Everyday heroes and mega celebrities

-Women at home and women superstars

-Celebrating the down-to-earth women in NYC

 

  • Two PSAs that I like with APA citations

1. Decades 2:20 | Wildfire Prevention

YouTube. (2024, February 22). Decades 2:20 | Wildfire prevention. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uslLV343id4

  1. A Look Inside Intermountain’s ICUs During COVID-19

YouTube. (2020, October 22). A look inside Intermountain’s ICUs during COVID-19. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLG1qP582Kw

 

  •   Prof. Scanlan’s beginning APA references:

Biever, C. (2023, July 27). The Easy Intelligence Test that AI Chatbots Fail. Nature. Celeste-Biever-AI-Chatbots-Fail-Nature

Crawford, K. (2021). Atlas of AI: Power, Politics, and the Planetary Costs of Artificial Intelligence. Yale University Press. pp. 1-7. KCrawford-Atlas-of-AI-Intro

Gupta, A. H. (2022, April 21). The caretakers of women’s pandemic stories. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/21/arts/design/women-coronavirus-pandemic-journals.html?searchResultPosition=28 The above citation is actually related to my PSA. The others are the ones I provided.

Halpern, S. (2023, December 8). The Year A.I. Ate the Internet. The New Yorker. https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/profscanlan-english1121-spring2024/files/2024/02/Halpern-AI-at-the-Internet-NewYorker-2023.pdf

Lapore, J. (2023, March 27). The Data Delusion. The New Yorker. The-Data-Delusion-Jill-Lapore-NewYorker

 

 

Week 3: Body text,  generative AI versions, and comparison essay [25 points]

 

The Three Versions of My PSA:

 

Version 1: My own writing:

First of all, Aphrodite and Circe were not real people, and they should not be treated as such. Be thoughtful and praise the women that you know: doctors, nurses, moms, postal workers, teachers, chefs…everybody! Be careful of falling into the trap of celebrity gossip and praising people you don’t know. Circe was powerful, yes, but she lured sailors to their death; also, she was not a real person, but a mythological creature made famous in Homer’s epic tales. Keep it real!

 

 

Version 2: ChatGPT #1:

Prompt: rewrite this PSA (see above) to be smoother and to discuss the role of everyday heroes as women.

ChatGPT:

“In a world where mythical figures like Aphrodite, Circe, and Sappho capture our imagination, let’s remember the real heroes: everyday people, especially women. While goddesses symbolize beauty, power, and intellect, it’s crucial to recognize the strength, resilience, and contributions of ordinary individuals. From nurturing families to driving innovation, women play indispensable roles in shaping society. Let’s celebrate the achievements of real-life heroes who inspire us with their courage, kindness, and determination. Together, let’s elevate the importance of valuing and empowering every individual, ensuring that the spotlight shines brightly on those who truly make a difference in our lives.”

APA citation:

OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 20 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat

 

Version 3: ChatGPT #2:

Prompt: Can you change the last two sentences to say what kind of jobs and careers and duties women do that is essential to world peace and prosperity?

ChatGPT:

“Together, let’s highlight the vital roles women play in fields ranging from healthcare and education to leadership and innovation. By acknowledging the diverse contributions of women in promoting equality, justice, and compassion, we pave the way for a more peaceful and prosperous world. Let’s prioritize the recognition and empowerment of women in all walks of life, ensuring that their essential work and dedication are valued and celebrated for the betterment of society as a whole.”

APA citation:

OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 20 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat

 

 

Comparison Essay: at least 300 words

When I first started this PSA, the goal was to draw attention toward real women and away from celebrities, I wanted to draw attention to the unfairness of stereotypes and to the problem of wealthy egos, but I ended up talking about very old mythological “women” who were not really women at all but figures, legends. Why the pivot from celebrities to myths? One thing I had to navigate was mentioning a popular icon because that might spark a backlash against my campaign. I was still interested in making this PSA work because mentioning mythic figures would be new and interesting; it might stick in people’s minds. The second thing I wanted my PSA to do was to be conversational and easy to understand. I think I succeeded in making it conversational. And the third thing I wanted to do was to give a little bit of historical background. I think I succeeded in most of these three, but the PSA draft here is somewhat rough. Honestly, I was worried that readers might be put off by the strong tone that says, do this, don’t do that.

The first Chat was somewhat successful in that it smoothed out some of the language. Instead of my PSA’s start: “First of all, Aphrodite and Circe were not real people, and they should not be treated as such,” the Chat started with “In a world where mythical figures like Aphrodite, Circe, and Sappho capture our imagination, let’s remember the real heroes: everyday people, especially women.” This change was good in that it is friendlier and makes readers look smart by acknowledging that they are mythical figures. That was a nice touch. But from there, the sentences get soft and flimsy. The terms strength and resilience sound too much like a politician’s speech. In short, the first Chat was too bland, even if it was smoother.

The third Chat was better than the second. I like the emphasis on “let’s highlight the vital roles,” as the icebreaker for the PSA. The condensed list of job types saves space for the idea of empowerment and justice. These terms I had not thought to use, even if they were in the back of my mind. The friendlier tone and the repetition of “let’s” combined with the emphasis on bettering society as a whole are welcome edits for me. The one thing I still would like to do is to mention that the famous Greek poet Sappho of Lesbos wrote about Aphrodite and that Homer wrote about Circe. In the end, I incorporated the last sentence of the second Chat version into my final version below.

[422 words]

 

 

 

 

Week 4: Final PSA Poster, Final Reflection, APA References, and brief Presentation [55 points]

 

 

Professor Scanlan’s PSA [note the five sections]

Title:

Hey, you, it’s time to praise all women and stop praising celebrities!

 

Key Question:

Did you know that the celebrities/goddesses Aphrodite and Circe were not as good or as glamourous as you might think?

 

PSA:

First of all, Aphrodite and Circe were not real people, and they should not be treated as such. Be thoughtful and praise the women that you know: doctors, nurses, moms, postal workers, teachers, chefs…everybody! Be careful of falling into the trap of celebrity gossip and praising people you don’t know. Circe was powerful, yes, but she lured sailors to their death; also, she was not a real person, but a mythological creature made famous in Homer’s epic tales. Let’s prioritize the recognition and empowerment of women in all walks of life, ensuring that their essential work and dedication are valued and celebrated for the betterment of society as a whole. Keep it real! *

 

Call-to-Action: Do the nice thing and say “thank you” to all women in your life!

 

For more information, read these articles on real heroes!

Gupta, A. H. (2022, April 21). The caretakers of women’s pandemic stories. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/21/arts/design/women-coronavirus-pandemic-journals.html?searchResultPosition=28

Sen, M. (2023, August 30). How Anna May Wong became the first Chinese American movie star. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/books/under-review/how-anna-may-wong-became-the-first-chinese-american-movie-star

Yong, E. (2017, May 23). How women mentors make a difference in engineering. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/05/women-mentors-engineering/527625/

*blue indicates a sentence taken from ChatGPT

 

 

 

Reflection Essay: 400-600 words

My PSA project was a long project, yet I did not find it all that hard. There were some confusing moments and some moments of clarity. But overall, I survived it by pacing myself and doing a little each night (or almost each night). This reflection essay will explore my experience in more depth. In particular, I will examine what I learned, the easiest and hardest parts of the project, what I would do if I had more time, and if my views have changed about generative AI.

I learned three things during this three-week AI project. First, I learned that I use more digital tools that I first thought. In terms of hardware, I used library computers, General Building computer lab computers, my phone, and my old laptop. Of these, I used my laptop the most, but I was surprised that I used my phone for the initial research and reading. In terms of software, I used MS Word, MS Outlook, WordPress (our OpenLab site,) ChatGPT, Google, Google Docs, Gmail, Languagetool.org (for proofing), Purdue OWL, and Citation Machine. Of these, I would say that I used Google Docs and OpenLab the most. But Purdue OWL and Citation Machine were very helpful for the last lap. Second, I learned that ChatGPT is really finicky. I thought it would take my own writing and make it perfect, but when I read it, I thought: that is not how I write; essentially, that is not me. So, I worked on my prompts a few times and selected the best response. My Version 3 is good, but not perfect. I don’t write like that even though I sculpted the prompts. I could never say that this is my own writing. My first version that I actually wrote is closer to how I sound in real life. Third, I learned that project such as this take time and a ton of organization.

The easiest and hardest thing are easy for me to discuss.  Getting started, brainstorming, and writing the first PSA draft were easy. I knew the type of PSA I wanted to work on, and I knew the main message quickly. The hardest part was actually working with ChatGPT. In the past, I’ve worked with DALL-E and Bard, but not ChatGPT. I was timid at first, but then I learned that I had to take time to write longer and longer PSA messages and longer prompts. The longer the prompt, the better.

If I had another week, I think I would like to work on the design element of the PSA. I would like to work with images on Midjourney or DALL-E. The article by Ethan Mollick that Prof. Scanlan posted last week was cool in the way the author used DALL-E to work on the original prompt again and again. The last image is stunning. It looks like a graphics artist spent a lot of time on it, and I’m not even into race cars.

How have my own views on Generative AI changed during this project? This question is a tough one. I don’t think I’m at a conclusion moment yet. There is still so much I need to read about AI and its implications. I learned that I could get something useful out of the Chat, but I also learned that I could learn even more if I kept reflecting on the project overall. There were a lot of pieces to the puzzle; it wasn’t like Prof. Scanlan said, here, spend ten minutes on this essay and let’s move on. He made sure that we invested time into learning a new set of tools. But back to the question: my views have changed only slightly. I was hesitant before about using ChatGPT, but now I could use and might be able to spend the necessary time refining the product to make it useful. It’s all about learning what it can and can’t do. And one thing for certain is that it can’t sound like me.

[675 words]

 

 

References: [note: make sure references are alphabetized.]

 

Biever, C. (2023, July 27). The Easy Intelligence Test that AI Chatbots Fail. Nature. Celeste-Biever-AI-Chatbots-Fail-Nature

Crawford, K. (2021). Atlas of AI: Power, Politics, and the Planetary Costs of Artificial Intelligence. Yale University Press. pp. 1-7. KCrawford-Atlas-of-AI-Intro

Gupta, A. H. (2022, April 21). The caretakers of women’s pandemic stories. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/21/arts/design/women-coronavirus-pandemic-journals.html?searchResultPosition=28

Halpern, S. (2023, December 8). The Year A.I. Ate the Internet. The New Yorker. https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/profscanlan-english1121-spring2024/files/2024/02/Halpern-AI-at-the-Internet-NewYorker-2023.pdf

Lapore, J. (2023, March 27). The Data Delusion. The New Yorker. The-Data-Delusion-Jill-Lapore-NewYorker

OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 20 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat

Sen, M. (2023, August 30). How Anna May Wong became the first Chinese American movie star. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/books/under-review/how-anna-may-wong-became-the-first-chinese-american-movie-star

Yong, E. (2017, May 23). How women mentors make a difference in engineering. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/05/women-mentors-engineering/527625/

 

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Brief Presentation: 5-minute presentation using one index card