Hi! My name is Caroline Lanning, and I’m the creator of Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence: The Smart Prompt Project. I’m a senior at Columbus School for Girls in Columbus, Ohio, and this project is for my Girl Scouts Gold Award.

AI is moving faster than almost anything I’ve seen in my lifetime. New tools, models, and capabilities show up practically every month but the policies, school guidelines, and safety guardrails meant to keep up with all of it are lagging noticeably behind. That gap is the root of a real problem: there simply aren’t enough clear, accessible resources teaching people my age how to use AI safely, responsibly, and effectively. Most of what exists is written for adults, for businesses, or for policymakers, not for the students who are actually using these tools every day, often with very little guidance. I wanted to help close that gap.

Teens today are going to become the next generation of leaders, and that means we’ll be the ones shaping how AI fits into workplaces, schools, and everyday life. If we don’t understand how to use this technology thoughtfully now, we’ll be at a disadvantage later, not because AI will replace us, but because the people who do understand how to work alongside it well will be the ones setting the standard. Learning to collaborate with AI, rather than depend on it or fear it, is quickly becoming as important as any other skill we’re taught in school.

This project is my attempt to make that learning curve less steep. Here, I’ve pulled together research, real statistics, expert perspectives, and my own understanding of AI safety and responsible use into one place written in a way that’s actually meant for students, not just researchers or executives. My hope is that by making this information more approachable, more of my peers will feel confident using AI with the right balance of curiosity and caution, rather than either avoiding it out of uncertainty or using it carelessly without understanding the risks.

I believe the future isn’t going to be humans versus AI. It’s going to be humans and AI working together, but that only works if people, especially those of us just starting to build our careers and futures, know how to use these tools responsibly from the start. That’s what I’m hoping this project can help with giving my generation the confidence, awareness, and judgment to lead well in an AI-infused future.