step 06 / 08 · investigation · report
AI in Action: Scientific Investigation on Climate Change
Welcome to this stage of the course!
In this activity, you will take on the role of a critical researcher investigating climate change using both Artificial Intelligence tools and scientific sources. Your task is to explore a scientific question, analyze information generated by AI, and compare it with reliable evidence from academic and institutional sources.
Throughout this process, you will be invited to apply critical thinking skills such as observation, comparison, evaluation of evidence, and identification of possible biases or limitations in the information you find. This will help you better understand how scientific knowledge is constructed and how AI can support, but also challenge, the way we interpret information.
By the end of the activity, you will reflect on your experience and answer how critical thinking was important in helping you analyze, question, and understand the information during your investigation.
Engage actively, question carefully, and enjoy the experience of thinking like a scientist!
Objective of the activity
In this activity, you will conduct a small scientific investigation on climate change using Artificial Intelligence as a starting support tool and scientific sources for validation and comparison. The focus is on developing critical thinking skills, evidence analysis, and evaluation of information reliability.
Research question
Choose a scientific question related to climate change, such as:
- What are the main causes of global warming?
- What is the impact of deforestation on biodiversity and climate?
- Are renewable energy sources sufficient to reduce carbon emissions?
- How are extreme weather events related to climate change?
Procedure
- Initial formulation (AI as a starting point). Use an AI tool to generate an initial answer to your research question. Record the full response.
- Scientific evidence gathering. Search for at least three reliable scientific sources, such as:
- peer-reviewed scientific articles
- reports from international organizations (IPCC, UN, NASA, etc.)
- academic or institutional websites
- Critical comparative analysis. Compare the AI-generated response with the scientific sources, analyzing:
- agreements between the information
- differences or simplifications
- possible gaps, biases, or inaccuracies in the AI response
- quality and reliability of human scientific sources
- Scientific interpretation. Reflect on how scientific knowledge is built from evidence and how AI fits (or does not fit) into this process.
Your report
Write a PDF report including:
- your research question
- the AI prompt used
- the AI-generated response
- links to the three scientific sources used
- a structured comparative analysis
- a final conclusion answering: Can AI be considered a reliable source of scientific knowledge? Why or why not? And how was critical thinking important to you during this activity?
Taking the course with a teacher or a group? Hand your report in there. On your own? Keep it: Step 8 asks you to look back on your work.
Your notes
Record your question, your prompt, the AI’s answer and your three sources as you go. Your notes stay in this browser; nothing is sent anywhere. Download them to keep them.