ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, TEXTUAL DEEPFAKE AND THE CHALLENGES OF TEACHING HISTORY IN THE DIGITAL AGE

Abstract

This article discusses the impacts of the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in History teaching, focusing on the challenges related to the development of critical thinking and textual authorship among students. The research aimed to analyze the textual narratives of students in the final years of elementary school at a public school in a municipality in the State of Rio de Janeiro. The study follows a qualitative approach, in which 71 students from the 8th and 9th grades, after participating in a didactic sequence carried out during History classes, were invited to write a text about the local history of the municipality where they live. Data analysis was conducted through direct observation and the use of AI detection tools. The results show that 66.6% of the texts contain AI-generated content, while only 33.3% were produced independently by the students. Based on this finding, the concept of textual deepfake is addressed, referring to texts produced by machines that appear to be authentic but do not demonstrate critical reflection. In light of the results, we conclude that the use of AI as a pedagogical tool in History classes must be accompanied by intentional strategies and digital literacy actions that contribute to the development of students' authorship and critical thinking skills.