Mission control calls a meeting about Sky Sorter. Rocket brings the autonomy results on a clipboard.
"With Decide Alone, the whole stack is sorted before lunch," he says. "But a few comets end up in the star bin."
Raven adds, "The scientists who study comets would miss those cards completely."
A new engineer asks who will check the cards if the sorter does most of the work.
Nova floats above the table. "Every choice you make here helps some people and changes the work of others," she says.
"Then we need to list both sides," Raven says, "before anyone decides."
A trade-off is when you gain one thing by giving up another.
A sorter like Sky Sorter could save the crew hours on a huge pile. But faster outputs can also mean fewer people checking for mistakes.
AI can affect society in good and bad ways. That is why people should discuss its impacts and set rules for ethical design.
A tool like Sky Sorter could also change the crew's work. Some people might move from sorting cards to checking and improving the sorter.
| Choice | What you gain | What you might give up |
|---|---|---|
| More autonomy | Speed on big piles | Fewer chances to catch mistakes |
| A person checks every output | Mistakes are caught early | More time and effort |
| No sorter at all | People see every card | The pile may never get finished |
This course teaches about AI without using real AI tools.
Never type personal information into any app or website. Ask a grown-up before using any AI tool outside the course.
If something online is upsetting or asks for secrets, stop and tell a trusted adult.
| Week review | True or false? |
|---|---|
| An AI system produces outputs such as predictions, recommendations or decisions. | ? |
| A calculator is a good example of an AI system. | ? |
| Autonomy is how much a system acts on its own. | ? |
| More autonomy always means fewer mistakes. | ? |
| It is fine to try a new AI tool without asking a grown-up. | ? |
What a first week, explorer. Tomorrow is your first Explorer Quest with your family.