What is this game?
We are biologically wired to make quick judgments about people based on very little information – it’s an ancient survival mechanism designed to help us assess danger. But in the modern world, that same instinct creates stereotypes, snap judgments, and hidden biases.
In Guess Who?, you will face 10 diverse profiles and 10 detailed clues (from hobbies like scuba diving to multilingual skills). Your task is to drag and drop each person to match the clue you think describes them. Once you submit, you’ll see how your choices compare to the rest of the class.
What will I learn?
- Unconscious Bias: You will discover how quickly our brains rely on stereotypes when we have limited information.
- The Power of First Impressions: You will examine why we judge people based on visual appearance and how those assumptions often miss reality.
Play the Game
https://learningrmps.my.canva.site/interactive-guess-who-classroom-bias-discussion-task
For Teachers: Unconscious Bias, AI, and Facial Recognition
This interactive experience goes far beyond a simple matching task. By combining individual digital gameplay with whole-class physical activities, it serves as a powerful anchor for lessons on stereotypes, unconscious bias, and the ethics of artificial intelligence.
Why it works in the classroom:
- Dual Modes for Maximum Flexibility: Use the digital game for independent or small-group play, or switch to the Teacher Mode (featuring 15 standalone clues) to facilitate whole-class discussions.
- Physical Board Extension: Bring out physical “Guess Who?” style boards and have pupils place one person down for each revealed clue. Look at who is left standing at the end—is it the same person the class expected? Discuss why certain individuals were targeted and what specific visual cues triggered those assumptions.
- Connecting Human Bias to AI: Use the results to pivot directly into a discussion on Facial Recognition in AI. Ask: If human brains rely on visual stereotypes to make split-second choices, what happens when we train artificial intelligence and police algorithms to do the exact same thing?
Suggested Discussion Questions:
- The Statistics: Looking at which people were chosen by the majority of the class, what patterns emerge? What does this tell us about societal conditioning and representation?
- Biological Survival vs. Modern Ethics: Why did evolution design us to judge people quickly? Why is that survival mechanism problematic in a diverse modern society?
- AI and Policing: If police forces or security systems use facial recognition software trained on biased human data, what are the potential consequences for innocent people? Who gets protected, and who gets profiled?
Suggested Use: Use this as a core investigative activity during lessons on stereotyping, media representation, or AI ethics, allowing pupils to experience their own assumptions firsthand before diving into heavier societal debates.
