AI Loan Shark – Using AI to Raise Awareness
Client Name:
Illegal Money Lending Team
Project Overview:
Students Engaged
Artworks Created
%
Positive Feedback
Project Aims:
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Increase awareness of the deceptive nature of illegal lending
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Empower young people to recognise loan sharks in their community
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Develop digital and creative skills using AI technology
The Solution:
We started with interactive presentations to educate students on how to identify illegal lenders, understand the risks, and seek help. Students then created AI-generated portraits by transforming hand-drawn sketches into digital artworks using iPads, representing the diverse faces of loan sharks. These artworks showcased that loan sharks can be anyone—from a neighbour walking their dog to someone enjoying a drink at a café.
The Outcome:
The project successfully empowered students to recognise the signs of illegal money lending and its risks. All of the artworks were collated into a collaborative piece (see below), showcasing the students’ work together, and is set to be displayed on billboards across England, amplifying its educational impact.
Additionally, the workshops helped develop students’ digital and creative skills, fostering valuable abilities for the future. Overall, the project sparked meaningful community dialogue and demonstrated the transformative power of creative collaboration in addressing social issues.
Feedback:
“Our students have really enjoyed the creative input with the team from Digital Arts Box – it was a brilliant session in which all of our year students participated in, one form group each week. Students learned about the motivations and risks for illegal money lending and sources of support before producing their own AI awareness-raising design. Students had to draw a design by hand and then convert this to a professional-looking product using sophisticated software. I am really grateful to all the colleagues and organisations who made this innovative and important interaction possible.” – Liam Hussey, Leader of Digital Safeguarding at Ormiston Bolingbroke Academy
Let’s Work Together: