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01 · The Human Question
THE HUMAN QUESTION
Chapter 01 / Lesson 2 · The practice lab
Try it. Check it. Own it.
Identify who made each decision in an AI-assisted task. Follow Carla's demonstration, pause to make your own attempt, and compare your check with the result.
Video · 1:50Activity time is additionalStudent courseYour next moves
Make the lesson yours.
- Open the AI Lab activity below and make your first attempt before using AI.
- Create a short decision log showing what you chose and what the tool supplied.
- Use only a school-approved tool that permits your age. Check its age and consent rules; adult permission cannot override an 18+ restriction. Use fictional or non-sensitive examples.
- If no suitable tool is available, review the demonstration and complete the evidence check on paper.
- Close the tool. Explain your result, what you verified and what you would revise.
Your activity / Right here
Bring a notebook. Begin below.
The activity is included on this page. Work on paper or in your own document; keep your first attempt and the evidence you checked.
AI Lab: Who Decided?
Use only an AI tool your instructor approves and that allows users your age. Check its minimum age and parent-permission rules first; an adult's permission cannot override an 18+ limit. Follow your school's rules, and do not share personal information. About 20 minutes.
1. Ask an AI to plan a Saturday for a made-up student your age who has $20 and no car.
2. Copy the plan into a table like this one:
| Choice in the plan | Who decided? (Me, AI, or Both) | Do I agree? | What I will change |
|---|---|---|---|
3. Take back at least two decisions and rewrite them.
4. Verify: Pick one factual claim in the plan, such as a cost or an opening time, and check it against a real source. Write down what you found and where you found it.
5. Record your AI use: which tool you used, what you asked, and what you kept from the answer.
Own It
No AI. About 10 minutes.
Rewrite the final Saturday plan by hand, in your own words. Then finish this sentence:
"The decision that must stay mine is __________ because __________."
Portfolio piece: My Human Agency Starting Point. Keep your My AI Day inventory from Think First together with this Own It page. Together they are the first piece of your portfolio.
Context File Upgrade
Start a file called my_context.md. You can start it on paper. Write:
# My Context ## About Me - Year or level of study: - Something I am good at: - Something I want to get better at:
Do not include your full name, address, phone number, school name, passwords, or anything private. You will add to this file all semester, and in Chapter 11 you will teach your AI to use it.
Skeptic's Corner: What Kind of Statement Is This?
These statements are exercises to classify and check. Do not assume every statement is true.
Books, news, and AI all mix different kinds of statements together. Skeptics sort them. This book uses six labels:
| Label | What it means | What it needs before you trust it |
|---|---|---|
| Fact | A claim about the world that can be checked | A reliable source |
| Idea | A principle or argument offered for you to test | Good reasons |
| Rob's Story | The author's own experience | Honesty and clear limits |
| Made-Up Example | A fictional story used to teach | A clear label |
| Rule | A law, policy, or official standard | The official source and its date |
| Prediction | A claim about the future | Stated assumptions |
Label each statement:
1. "About three in ten U.S. teens use chatbots every day."
2. "A machine can finish a task. Only a person can finish a purpose."
3. "Mike turned in a four-minute essay."
4. "Listing an item used to take Rob about ten minutes."
5. "AI will be smarter than every human by 2030." (A claim you might see online.)
6. "Use only an AI tool your instructor approves."
Pause & reflect
What changed in your thinking?
Write one sentence in your notebook. Name what you checked, what you chose, or what you want to explore next.
Read the video transcript
Read along, pause, or return to an idea. This transcript follows the selected lesson video.
I'm Carla, an AI avatar.
Here's a check I run after every AI conversation.
I call it Who Decided.
It takes five minutes, and it tells you whether you're
still in charge.
This demonstration uses an adult account.
In class, use only a tool your teacher approves that
allows your age.
Do not share personal information.
Step one, ask for help.
We'll ask for a Saturday plan for a made-up student with
twenty dollars and no car.
Here's the plan.
It looks great.
That's the problem.
It looks finished, and the student hasn't made a single choice yet.
Step two, list every choice in the plan.
Step three, mark each one: Me, AI, or Both.
Wake up at nine, walk to the park,
library at ten, bake cookies, movie night.
Every one of these came from the AI.
Not one came from the student.
Step four, question each AI choice.
Do I agree?
Does it fit what I care about?
Step five, take back at least two.
Our made-up student isn't a morning person,
so the start moves to eleven.
They would rather call a friend and shoot hoops than go to
the library this week.
Step six, verify one fact.
The plan says the library opens at nine.
The AI may have guessed.
Guesses are fine, as long as we check.
So we look up the real hours on the library's own website
before counting on it.
Last, record your AI use: which tool you used,
what you asked, and what you kept.
That note helps you stay honest with yourself and your teacher.
The AI made a plan.
The student took back two choices.
Now it's their plan.
Your turn.
Open the AI Lab and run Who Decided on your own Saturday.
Before you use an AI tool
Follow your course or institution's rules. Use an instructor-approved tool that permits your age, and meet any required consent conditions. Keep names, contact details, school records, and other private information out of prompts. Use fictional examples when you can.
Learning without an AI account
Follow the demonstration, pause before each answer, and do the reasoning on paper. Discuss what you would ask, how you would check it, and which decisions would remain yours.
About the characters and voices
This course uses AI-created characters and synthetic voices. Carla is an AI avatar. They help tell the story; they are not real students sharing testimonials.
Designed for high-school and community-college learners. Choose examples from your classes, work, and everyday life. Keep your completed work in your course portfolio.