Rewriting fairy tales: developing critical AI literacy through creative practice in higher education

This case study explores how generative artificial intelligence (genAI) can be used in higher education (HE) to examine creativity, bias, and representation through storytelling. Rewriting Fairy Tales was a workshop in which 11 students from diverse disciplines used AI tools to reinterpret narratives, enabling them to identify bias, question authorship, and reflect on ethical implications of AI.

Delivered within a UK HE teaching initiative, the workshop used genAI software to generate and rework story summaries, images, and narrative continuations. Activities combined creative experimentation with discussion and reflection. Data were collected through surveys, student reflections, observations, and creative outputs, focusing on changes in confidence, ethical awareness, and engagement.

Findings indicate that students became more confident and critically aware, recognising AI as a limited creative collaborator. Participants identified gendered and cultural biases and produced more inclusive narratives. The study highlights storytelling as an accessible framework for developing digital literacy and ethical awareness.