Unveiling the Matrix: Lived Experiences of Senior High School STEM Pre- computer Studies Learners on AI- generated Audio- visual Contents

This research explores the lived experiences of the Grade 11 and 12 students in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Pre-Computer Studies strand of Ateneo de Davao Senior High School in differentiating Artificial Intelligence (AI)- generated audio-visual content from real media contents. A qualitative phenomenological research design was employed, where data were gathered through a researcher-made semi-structured interview guide questionnaire through in-depth face-to-face interviews of 10 purposively sampled participants and analyzed thematically. Findings revealed that students saw the ease and efficiency of AI-generated content, but some participants were worried about its unworthiness, particularly the possibility of media manipulation. The majority of the students also viewed AI-generated content as not original and creative, and a number of them viewed human-created work as more original and unique. Despite these problems, participants also acknowledged the practicability of AI in academic work. Their experiences showed extensive and varied exposure to AI-generated content, particularly on social media and educational work, which cast additional doubts on its genuineness. Students used different methods, such as recognizing and applying identification tools, discerning through intuition and observation, and critical thinking to identify AI-generated content. The researchers determined that AI-generated content was helpful to a certain extent. However, it is somewhat of a turn-off for students getting more suspicious of AI's reliability and authenticity. The findings put in perspective the necessity for students to learn the media and critical thinking competencies to enable them to manage AI-produced content. The educational sector must design media literacy programs and promote the ethical use of AI among educators. Future studies will need to determine the value of AI discovery tools to enhance digital trust, media participation, and responsibility of the citizens.