🤖 Trying AI Safely: Free Lesson Plan

See what an AI chat helper can and cannot do, with simple safety rules.

Time: 45 minutes

Supplies

Step 1: Welcome (5 min)
Say: "You may have heard about AI on the news. Today we will see it in action on the big screen. Nobody needs to touch a device unless they want to."
Step 2: What is it? (5 min)
Say: "An AI chat helper is a computer program you can type questions to, like texting a very well-read friend. It writes back in plain words. It is helpful, but it can be wrong, so we double-check important things."
Step 3: Live demo (20 min)
The volunteer types requests the group suggests. Good starters: "Shrink this recipe to 2 servings," "Write a short birthday poem for my granddaughter Emma who loves horses," "Explain what Wi-Fi is in simple words." Read answers out loud. Ask the group: "Was that helpful? Anything look wrong?"
Step 4: Safety rules (10 min)
Read the 4 rules on the handout: never share your Social Security, bank, or Medicare numbers; double-check health and money advice with a real professional; it can make mistakes; and scammers use AI too, so be careful with surprise calls that sound like family.
Step 5: Wrap up (5 min)
Hand out the handout and point to our free projects and guides for trying it at home. Answer questions.

Leader tip: Run it from one screen so nobody feels pressure. Choose free tools that do not need members to sign up.