T[AI]MELINE_
A card game about the history of artificial intelligence — created for teachers and teacher educators who want to explore AI critically, playfully, and collaboratively.
HOW TO PLAY
T[AI]MELINE is easy to learn, but opens up deep discussions. The core principle: place events correctly in time — and help each other think critically about artificial intelligence along the way.
> BASIC RULES
> AI WINTERS — SPECIAL PERIODS
The timeline contains two periods where research stagnated, funding dried up, and optimism faded:
> TEACHING TIPS
Use 10–15 minutes at the start of an AI lecture. Start with 5 cards per pair for a faster game.
Select only ethics and culture cards. Use them as a starting point for discussions on bias and power structures.
Play using only prediction cards. Have students discuss which predictions came true — and what that tells us.
The culture cards are well-suited for media analysis: what do HAL 9000 and Terminator tell us about our fear of AI?
ABOUT THE GAME
AI now permeates education at all levels — but many teachers face it without historical context, without shared concepts, and without space for critical reflection. T[AI]MELINE was created to provide exactly that.
— The premise of the project
> BACKGROUND
T[AI]MELINE was developed as part of research on artificial intelligence in teacher education and schools. The game stems from frustration: the debate on AI in schools is often either unrealistically optimistic or panic-driven — and rarely grounded in what AI actually is, what it has been, and how it impacts society.
Teachers and teacher education students need more than digital skills. They need historical awareness, ethical reflection, and a shared language to navigate the AI landscape with their students. That is what T[AI]MELINE seeks to build — through play.
> PEDAGOGICAL FOUNDATION
Research shows that play activates engagement, reduces performance anxiety, and opens up deeper conversations than traditional teaching. The timeline format provides a concrete, tangible structure for abstract content.
The game is explicitly linked to Norway's framework and guidelines for schools and education. The Education cards make this connection visible and provide teacher students with a tool to position themselves in the digital landscape.
The ethics and prediction cards are designed to challenge the notion of AI as neutral technology. They invite questions about power, bias, and who benefits from AI development.
> STATUS — 2026
> RESEARCH AFFILIATION
The project is part of ongoing research on professional digital competence in Norwegian teacher education, with a particular focus on how teachers develop critical understanding of AI technology in pedagogical practice.