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AI and You 9-12 / Week 07 / Explorer Quest
6/6
Week 07 · Privacy in the Machine

Explorer Quest

Explorer Quest: What does a helper need?
// What a question log reveals
⏱ about 20 min

Explorer Quest: What Does a Helper Need?

Comet fans out a deck of paper cards on the library table. Each card holds one made-up fact.

"Favorite subject: Biology," she reads. "Bedtime: ten thirty. Street name: Willow Lane. Club: chess club."

Wren sorts two piles. "Fine to share in a study log, or keep private. What does a study helper actually need?"

Comet hesitates over the street name. "A study helper does not need to know where anyone lives. That one is easy."

"And the bedtime?" Wren asks. "It is close to what the log revealed about S07."

Nova hovers over the piles. "Would you like a hint?" she asks. "For each card, ask what SH-1 would do with it."

Comet hands you the deck. "Take these home. Every fact on them is made up."

  1. Privacy protects people's autonomy, identity and dignity.
  2. Anonymity, confidentiality and control should guide how AI is designed.
  3. A helper should keep only what it needs for its job.
◇ KEEP IT OR SHARE IT?
You need a family member, one sheet of paper and a pencil.
Fold and tear the sheet into eight cards. Copy one made-up fact onto each card.
Made-up facts: favorite subject Biology; bedtime ten thirty; street name Willow Lane; club chess club.
More made-up facts: question topic slope; class Algebra; time asked 11:40 pm; birthday June 3.
Use only these made-up facts. Do not write anything true about anyone in your family.
Make two piles: fine to share in a study log, or keep private.
For each card, take turns saying what a study helper would do with it.
Compare your piles. Talk about any card you disagreed on.
Together, choose the fewest cards a study helper truly needs.
For a grown-up
This week your student studied privacy: what a question log can reveal and how to keep only what is needed.
Ask: why might a pattern of times point to one person, even with no name?
Ask: what should a helper keep, and what should it never need?
Everything in this course is done on paper with made-up data. No app, website or account is used.
QUEST CHECK
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
Which made-up card does a study helper need most to answer a question?
Why keep the time asked out of the log?
Quest reviewTrue or false?
A study helper needs to know where a student lives.?
Keeping fewer details can protect privacy.?
Made-up facts let you practice without sharing anything real.?
WHY THIS EXERCISEKeeping only what is needed is the heart of this week's privacy fixes.
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