Utility vs. Authenticity: Exploring Teacher Perceptions of AI-Generated Podcasts on Culturally Rich Topics

Abstract

Given AI’s growing use in education, this study seeks to investigate educators’ perceptions of its utility and limitations as a learning tool. Participants were asked to find their own sources on Hip Hop and social justice, upload them to an AI podcasting platform, and reflect on the experience and the product. By employing a qualitative, instrumental case study design, participant reflections serve as key data for understanding how educators perceive the value and use of AI in educational contexts, particularly in culturally rich domains. Participants showed mixed attitudes towards AI, weighing its functional uses against its failures to present comprehensive and complex information and analysis. Some participants saw AI as just one tool that needed to be supplemented by other resources and human analysis, while others struggled to see past the “uncanny” nature of the podcast’s delivery. The conclusions suggest that any use of AI in education should be paired with a critical discussion of why and how it should be used, especially when exploring culturally rich domains.