The record · 2023 to now
One school question, and how far it travelled.
It began because a handbook had no answer. It ended up in a state house and then a federal one. Along the way the question changed from what should be banned to what should be taught.
01
Westfield, New Jersey
The rule did not exist yet.
Francesca was fourteen when classmates used an app to make fake images of girls at her high school. The student responsible got a one-day suspension. When she pressed, she was told there were no AI laws, so there was nothing more to do. Her answer was that she would go get one.
02
House Oversight, Washington
Ask for the class, not just the ban.
Dorota testified before the House. She asked for two things: AI taught in schools, and conduct codes that keep up with the tools students already carry. The second one gets the headlines. The first one is the one she kept repeating.
03
TIME100 AI
A student on the list.
TIME named Francesca one of the hundred most influential people in AI. She was sixteen, and the only reason she was there was that she had refused to let a school close the file.
04
Capitol Hill, Washington
The room LearnSphere came out of.
Dorota testified to Senate Commerce. Encode Justice hosted Francesca at a gathering on youth and AI, where Senators Cruz, Klobuchar, and Durbin spoke. Nicolas was there from the research side. The three of them left that week with the same idea and started building it.
05
Newark, New Jersey
New Jersey answers.
Governor Murphy signed A3540, making it a crime to produce or share deceptive AI media for an unlawful purpose. Francesca stood next to him. His office said her advocacy helped inspire the bill.
06
Yale, New Haven
ShareA day about literacy, not fear.
With the state law just signed and the federal bill still moving, we gathered at Yale. The first subject was AI literacy: what a student should understand before opening the tool. Then youth leadership, then the legal and ethical frames still missing. Nicolas Gertler, Xin Jie “Tina” Zeng, and Katherine brought the campus into it.
2025 · Yale, AI literacy summit 07
The Rose Garden, Washington
The federal law lands.
The TAKE IT DOWN Act made it a federal crime to share nonconsensual intimate images, AI-generated ones included, and gave platforms 48 hours to take them down once reported. Francesca was in the Rose Garden when it was signed. Two years, from a one-day suspension to that.
08
Being Human in the Age of AI
Writing down what the good version looks like.
Every chapter above was a response to something going wrong. This one is not. It is how we want people to treat these tools: something you can learn, make with, and keep kind. It is unfinished on purpose.
You can use this now
Language for schools.
The two paragraphs a handbook was missing in 2023. Copy, edit, adopt.
HIB policy
“The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create, distribute, or promote harmful content, such as deepfakes, altered images, or false information intended to harass, intimidate, or bully another individual, is strictly prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to, using AI tools to impersonate others, generate offensive or inappropriate content, or amplify cyberbullying through automated means. Violations will result in disciplinary action consistent with the school's Code of Conduct.”
Code of conduct
“Misuse of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology, including the creation of deceptive or harmful content (e.g., fake profiles, manipulated media, or AI-generated harassment), is considered a violation of school policy. Students are expected to use AI responsibly and ethically, aligning with the principles of academic integrity, respect for others, and community safety. Consequences for AI misuse will be enforced and may include suspension, mandatory education on AI ethics, or referral to legal authorities in severe cases.”
If an image of you is already out there, NCMEC can help you get it taken down: takeitdown.ncmec.org