You're Still in Charge.
AI is a powerful tool, but a tool doesn't think, decide, or lead. You do. The moment you let AI make your choices, you've handed over something that belongs to you. These five principles keep you in charge.
Think Better
Use AI to help you think, not to think for you. The work is yours, and so is the thinking behind it.
AI is a thinking aid, not a thinking replacement. Use it to accelerate your work and develop ideas, but keep yourself in the driver's seat at every step.
Draft & Outline
Generate first attempts to get started faster, then shape them with your own thinking.
Learn Concepts
Ask AI to explain ideas, then verify them yourself before accepting them as true.
Improve Your Writing
Polish work you already created. Don't outsource the creation itself.
Brainstorm Options
Generate possibilities, then you decide what's best. The decision is always yours.
Protect Privacy
Don’t put private information into AI: yours, your friends’, your family’s, your school’s, or your job’s. Once it’s in, you can’t take it back.
Some information should never enter an AI tool. The risk of exposure is real, and the consequences can be serious for you and others.
Personal Information
Your own or anyone else's names, addresses, or IDs.
School or Employer Data
Records, client details, internal communications.
Financial Records
Account details or sensitive transactions of any kind.
Confidential Material
Anything marked confidential, restricted, or proprietary.
Verify Outputs
AI can sound right and still be wrong. Check the facts and sources before you use it, turn it in, or act on it.
AI can generate plausible-sounding facts, citations, and explanations that are simply wrong. Before you use AI output for anything that matters, check it.
Cross-Reference Sources
Before citing anything, verify it against a trusted, independent source.
Apply Your Own Knowledge
Assess whether the output actually makes sense given what you already know.
Own What You Submit
Take responsibility for what you submit or share. That's your name on it.
The Golden Rule
If you wouldn't stake your grade on it without checking, don't use it as-is.
Follow the Rules
House rules, classroom rules, school rules, and work rules come first. AI doesn’t change them. Not sure? Ask before you use it.
Your school and workplace have policies on AI use. Not knowing the policy is not an excuse. When in doubt, ask before you act.
At School
Check your teacher's policy before using AI on any assignment. Every class may have different rules.
At Work
Check with your manager before using AI on any work task. Policies vary by organization and role.
No Automation Without Permission
Don't automate decisions or workflows without explicit permission from the appropriate authority.
You Are Responsible
You are responsible for any work you submit, AI-assisted or not. Ownership doesn't transfer to the tool.
Pause and Ask
If something feels wrong, risky, or off, stop. Ask a parent, a teacher, a boss, or another adult you trust before you keep going.
If AI output seems wrong, inappropriate, or risky, don't submit it, share it, or act on it. Pause. Ask a teacher or supervisor. Asking is what responsible people do.
Pause
Stop before submitting or sharing anything that seems off. A moment of hesitation can prevent a serious mistake.
Assess
Is this accurate? Is this appropriate? Could this cause harm to you or someone else?
Ask
Tell a teacher or supervisor. Raising a concern is always the right move, it shows judgment, not weakness.
Your judgment is what makes you valuable.
Not your ability to copy output. AI is a tool, and you are the one in charge. Always.
Think Better
Use AI to help you think, not to think for you. The work is yours, and so is the thinking behind it.
Protect Privacy
Don’t put private information into AI: yours, your friends’, your family’s, your school’s, or your job’s. Once it’s in, you can’t take it back.
Verify Outputs
AI can sound right and still be wrong. Check the facts and sources before you use it, turn it in, or act on it.
Follow the Rules
House rules, classroom rules, school rules, and work rules come first. AI doesn’t change them. Not sure? Ask before you use it.
Pause and Ask
If something feels wrong, risky, or off, stop. Ask a parent, a teacher, a boss, or another adult you trust before you keep going.
Take It With You
Download the one-page reference (PDF) to keep, print, or share.