Understand it. Use it. Judge it.
AI can be a brilliant study partner. It can also quietly do your thinking for you. Learn how it works, how to learn with it, and how to tell when a confident answer is wrong.
Part 01 · Understand it
What AI actually is
Patterns, predictions, and why likely is not the same as true
When you type a question into a chatbot, nobody at the other end is looking the answer up. Something much stranger is happening. Here it is in five minutes, with no jargon.
Part 02 · Use it
Is this green, amber or red?
Habits for learning with AI, rather than letting it learn for you. Every guide carries a light.
Tap a light to see only its guides.
8 guides
- A tutor, not an answer keyAsk for hints and questions instead of answers Green light
- Make AI quiz youTurn your notes into practice questions Green light
- Check your work the smart wayTry first, then ask where the mistake is, not for the fix Green light
- Ask better questionsContext, goal, level and format: a clear prompt is clear thinking Green light
- Using AI safely and honestlyAge terms, your school's rules, and saying when you've used it Green light
- Brainstorm in your own voiceTake the ideas, then choose and build them yourself Amber light
- Useful feedback on a draftAsk about structure and clarity, then make the changes yourself Amber light
- When to put AI awayExams are closed-book, so your practice should be too Red light
Part 03 · Judge it
Why judging matters more than ever
Answers are easy to get now; knowing which to trust is the skill
A chatbot will answer almost any question in a few seconds, neatly laid out and in a calm, confident voice. That changes what is hard.
Try one
Stacy was 50 inches tall last year. If she grew 6 inches more than her brother who grew 1 inch last year, how tall is Stacy now?
Does it hold up?
Not this time. Every sum here is correct, but the answer is wrong. Which step broke? Tap it.
Yes, it's wrong. Every sum here is correct, though. Which step broke? Tap it.
Not this one. 50+5=55 is a correct sum. Look at where its numbers came from.
That's it. Step 1 should read: Stacy grew 6+1=7 inches. That makes the answer 57 inches. Every sum the robot did is right; the plan isn't.
Its habit: The Taker. Asked to put two amounts together, and takes one away.
Problem and worked solution from GSM8K, released by OpenAI under the MIT licence; the broken step is ours.
Part 04 · AI and your future
Will AI take that job?
How the headlines are made, and a chance to make one yourself
You've probably seen headlines claiming that AI will take over a big share of jobs. They sound precise, with a percentage and a study behind them. Here, we show you how those numbers may be produced, so you can judge them for yourself. Then you could try to make some of your own.
Judging AI is like judging anything
Telling a confident answer from a correct one is not really about AI. The critical thinking toolkit is the same move applied to headlines and arguments, and it is live today.