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AI Explorers 6-8 / Week 01 / Tuesday
2/6
Week 01 · What Counts as AI?

Tuesday

Three kinds of output
// Objectives, outputs and autonomy
⏱ about 20 min

Tuesday: Three Kinds of Output

Rocket sketches the first Sky Sorter design on the whiteboard. A big arrow points to one box marked ANSWER.

Raven taps the box with her marker. "Answer to what, exactly? It could say a lot of different things."

"It could guess what the card shows," Rocket offers. "Or suggest which cards a scientist should look at first."

"Or it could just drop each card into a bin," Raven adds.

Nova hovers beside the board. "Those are three different jobs," she says. "Your design should name which one Sky Sorter does."

Rocket erases ANSWER and writes three new words underneath.

Predictions, recommendations and decisions

The output of an AI system is what it gives back. The definition names three common kinds.

A prediction says what something probably is, or what will probably happen.

A recommendation suggests what someone might pick, try or do next.

A decision settles what actually happens, such as which bin a card goes into.

One system can produce more than one kind, so designers must say which outputs they want.

Kind of outputSky Sorter exampleSignal words
predictionThis card is probably a comet.probably, likely, will
recommendationA scientist might want to check this card first.might, try, suggest
decisionThe card is filed in the comet bin.filed, sent, approved
NAME THE OUTPUT
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
Imagine a sorter says: "This card is probably a planet."
Imagine a sorter says: "You might want to look at these five fuzzy cards first."
Imagine a sorter moves a card into the star bin without asking anyone.
Imagine a weather tool says: "It will likely rain after lunch."
An output that says what something probably is: a ____.
An output that suggests what to try: a ____.
An output that settles what happens: a ____.

Objectives come first

Every AI system is built for a set of objectives. An objective is a goal that people choose.

Mission control's objective is clear: label every snapshot card correctly.

A different team might set a different objective, such as finding all comet cards as fast as possible.

The objective shapes which outputs matter. It also shapes how people will judge whether the system works.

HOW ONE SNAPSHOT CARD MOVES THROUGH SKY SORTER
  • ?A person checks the prediction against the real answer.
  • ?People choose the objective: label every card correctly.
  • ?Sky Sorter produces a prediction about the card.
  • ?A snapshot card goes into Sky Sorter.
WHY THIS EXERCISEObjectives come first, outputs come next, and people check the results.
StatementTrue or false?
An objective is a goal chosen by people.?
A recommendation always makes the final choice for you.?
One system can produce more than one kind of output.?
A prediction can be wrong.?
WHY THIS EXERCISEOutputs are not the same as facts, so people need to know which kind they are getting.
Is a prediction always right? Type yes or no.
WHY THIS EXERCISEPredictions are statements about what is likely, and AI can be wrong, so outputs must be checked.
Try it
Listen to three conversations at home or school today.
Write down one prediction, one recommendation and one decision that you hear people make.

Nice work. Tomorrow's Explorer Lab turns a dial on how much Sky Sorter does by itself.

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