AI safety and security, made practical
Use AI without giving away what matters.
Free, visual lessons on how AI works, how it fails, and how to protect people and their data. Start with the essentials, then go as deep as your work needs.
Supported by Lumina EdTechDraft a short reply to Jordan Lee, born 04/12/2011, about their rent assistance application.
Draft a short reply to [Person], born [Date], about their rent assistance application.
Explore by topic
Start with the basics or jump to what your work needs. New topics are added as the field moves.
Free course · About 54 minutes
AI Safety & Security Foundations
Six lessons. A four-question quiz after each. A printable certificate from Lumina EdTech when you pass them all.
- 1How AI tools workWhat happens to what you type into an AI tool, who can see it, and three questions to ask before you use one.9 min4-question quiz
- 2How AI goes wrongMade-up answers, leaked information and hidden instructions: the main ways AI tools fail, in everyday terms.10 min4-question quiz
- 3Personal information needs careWhat counts as personal information, which kinds need extra protection, and who it really belongs to.8 min4-question quiz
- 4The rules in plain EnglishThe privacy rules you are most likely to meet in schools and in services for families, one sentence each.10 min4-question quiz
- 5Safe habits for everyday AIWhat never goes into a prompt, how to strip out personal details, and simple habits that prevent most problems.8 min4-question quiz
- 6Choosing tools and reporting problemsHow to tell whether an AI tool is ready for personal information, and what to do the moment something goes wrong.9 min4-question quiz
Everyday safe use
Never paste these into an AI tool nobody approved.
Describe the situation instead. “A parent of two looking for rent help” works as well as a name, and puts no one at risk.
Read the safe habits lesson- Names together with grades, health, case notes or discipline
- ID numbers, birth dates and home addresses
- Income, benefits, housing or immigration status
- Passwords, keys or anything that unlocks a system
Topic spotlight · Privacy rules
Different rules, one idea
In schools
FERPA
Student records · 20 U.S.C. 1232g
Schools need a parent's permission to share student records, with specific exceptions.
COPPA
Children under 13 · 16 CFR Part 312
Online services need parent consent before collecting data from kids under 13.
PPRA
Student surveys · 34 CFR Part 98
Surveys asking students about sensitive topics, like income, need parent consent.
State laws
Edtech vendors · e.g. California SOPIPA
Most states ban selling student data, targeted ads and non-school profiles.
Serving families
Benefit programs
SNAP and others · e.g. 7 CFR 272.1(c)
Applicant information may only be used and shared for purposes connected to the program.
HIPAA, when it applies
Health information · covered entities
Applies to health plans, providers and their business associates, not to most nonprofits.
Breach notice laws
Personal information · every US state
If personal information leaks, organizations may have to notify the people affected, often on a deadline.
The idea underneath: collect only what is needed, use it only for the purpose people agreed to, keep it safe, delete it when done.
Go deeper: the full curriculum
Ten modules with labs and primary sources, for people who build, buy or run AI tools that touch personal data.
Earn your certificate, then pick your next credential.
Lumina's free certificate of completion, plus a guide to outside certifications like CompTIA SecAI+ and IAPP AIGP.