What students practice
| Level | What students do | The skill |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Spot the Hallucination | Read 8 confident chatbot answers and tap the one false sentence in each | Checking facts, dates, numbers and sources instead of trusting fluent text |
| 2. Helper or Cheater? | Sort 10 real-life uses of AI as green (helps you learn), amber (ask first) or red (crosses the line) | Academic honesty and knowing when to check the rules |
| 3. Prompt Builder | Choose the 3 best ingredients for a prompt that fits a learning goal | Asking AI to explain, quiz and hint rather than do the work |
| 4. Redact It | Black out names, addresses, passwords, health and card details before a message goes to a chatbot | Protecting your own privacy and other people’s |
Every answer comes with an explanation. In Level 1 that means the correct fact plus a quick way to check it, and in Level 4 it means why each detail is private. The questions are shuffled, so a replay is different. Students can use a mouse, a touchscreen or the keyboard. Each results card ends with a key idea and an exit-ticket question.
Why teach AI literacy now
Students are already using chatbots. In a Pew Research Center survey, 26% of US teens said they had used ChatGPT for schoolwork in 2024, double the 13% of a year earlier, and later surveys show chatbot use for school has kept growing. Banning AI tools does not teach students how to use them well, and neither does ignoring them. The four skills in this game are a practical starting point: verify what AI says, use it honestly, ask in ways that build learning and protect private information.
What is an AI hallucination?
A hallucination is when an AI tool states something false as if it were true. Chatbots generate text by predicting likely-sounding words, so a wrong date, a made-up statistic or an invented citation can look just as convincing as a correct answer. Common warning signs include very specific numbers or page references, answers that contradict themselves, and claims that clash with everyday experience. Level 1 trains students to spot these signs and to check important facts against a reliable source such as a textbook, an encyclopedia or an official website.
A 30-minute AI literacy lesson
- Hook (5 minutes). Ask: “Have you ever seen AI get something wrong?” Collect a few examples. Then ask how they found out it was wrong.
- Play Levels 1 and 2 (10 minutes). Students work in pairs. In Level 2, partners must agree on a color before they choose and give a reason.
- Discuss (5 minutes). Which amber situations caused the most debate? Use them to explain your own class rules.
- Play Levels 3 and 4 (7 minutes). Ask students to note one prompt ingredient and one privacy rule they will use.
- Exit ticket (3 minutes). Students answer the exit-ticket question from any results card.
With one screen for the whole class, project the game and let students vote before you click. Level 1 works especially well this way: ask everyone to point to the sentence they think is false.
Set clear AI rules for your class
Level 2 uses a traffic-light model that you can adapt for your own syllabus. Rules differ between schools and between assignments, so tell students which light applies to each task.
| Light | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Green | AI is welcome as a study helper | Quizzing yourself, explaining a concept, planning study time, extra practice problems |
| Amber | Allowed only if the assignment says so, and you must say how you used it | Grammar fixes on graded work, translation, AI images, feedback on a draft |
| Red | Not allowed | Submitting AI-written work as your own, using AI in closed-book tests, invented sources |
A short AI-use statement makes amber tasks transparent. Ask students to add one line to their work, for example: “I used [tool] to [purpose]. I checked its output by [method].”
Prompts that help students learn
- “Explain [topic] for a 10th grader, then ask me three questions to check that I understood.”
- “Quiz me on [topic] one question at a time. Wait for my answer before you show the correct one.”
- “Here is my working. Tell me which step has a mistake, but don’t give me the final answer.”
- “Here is my draft. Point out my two weakest arguments. Don’t rewrite it.”
These prompts turn the chatbot into a practice partner, which fits well with study methods like active recall. For a student-friendly guide, share How to Use AI for Studying Without Cheating.
Privacy rules for chatbots
- Never type passwords, ID numbers, card numbers or health details into a chatbot.
- Leave out your full name, address, school and phone number. The chatbot rarely needs them to help.
- Never share other people’s private information or secrets.
- Many chatbots require users to be at least 13, and some require parental permission for users under 18. Check the terms of any tool and your school’s policy before using it in class.
Privacy in this game
The game does not use a real chatbot. All answers are written in advance, there are no accounts, and nothing students type or tap leaves their device. Best scores are saved only in the browser on the device being used.
Frequently asked questions
Does the game use real AI?
No. The chatbot answers are scripted so that every student sees accurate explanations and nothing is sent to an AI company. That also means it works on school networks that block chatbot websites.
What age is it for?
It was written for high school students, and it works well with adults too. The situations involve homework, essays, tests, group projects and everyday online life.
Can AI detectors tell whether a student used AI?
Not reliably. AI detectors can miss AI-written text and can wrongly flag a student’s own writing, including writing by English learners. Looking at the process, such as drafts, notes and a short conversation about the work, is usually fairer than relying on a detector score.
Why are some situations amber instead of green or red?
Because rules really do differ. A grammar check might be fine in one class and count as AI writing in another. The amber light teaches students to ask first and to be open about how they used AI, which is a habit they will need after school too.
Is it free?
Yes. The game and this guide are free for classroom and home use.
More free tools: Classroom Games · Growth Mindset Game · VR Field Trip · Classroom Timer