Unit 1

Communicating with Words

Engineering Communication

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Warm-Up · FRQ

What's the hardest thing about writing instructions for someone else?

Robots & Rules

Words Are Hard

If writing clear instructions for another person is hard, imagine trying to write rules for a machine that can't ask questions, doesn't understand context, and always follows instructions literally.

That's exactly the challenge science fiction author Isaac Asimov explored when he created the Three Laws of Robotics, a set of rules meant to keep humans safe when working with intelligent machines. He wrote them in 1942 for a short story called "Runaround," which later became part of the 1950 collection I, Robot.

Isaac Asimov's

Three Laws of Robotics

  1. 1
    A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
  2. 2
    A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
  3. 3
    A robot must protect its own existence, as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
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Your Thoughts · FRQ

Which of the Three Laws do you think is the most difficult to implement or follow in real life? Why?

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Your Thoughts · FRQ

Can we truly control a robotic system's behavior with just a few rules?

Robots & Rules

Even the Order of Instructions Matters

XKCD comic titled 'Why Asimov put the Three Laws of Robotics in the order he did.' It shows six possible orderings of the three laws (don't harm humans, obey orders, protect yourself) and the wildly different consequences each ordering produces, ranging from a balanced world to a frustrating world, a terrifying standoff, and repeated 'killbot hellscape' outcomes.
AI & Instructions

Instructing AI

As that comic shows, even when rules sound clear, how they're written, and in what order, can lead to very different outcomes.

That's exactly the challenge we face with AI. It doesn't guess what we meant, it follows the instructions we give it. And those instructions usually start with something called a system prompt.

AI & Instructions

System Prompt

Large language models are given system prompts when they're made to interact with humans. These are "rules" that guide the AI's personality and behavior.

"You are a supportive and knowledgeable classroom assistant. You help students understand concepts by asking guiding questions, offering examples, and explaining ideas clearly. You do not give direct answers to graded assignments or do students' work for them. Always encourage curiosity, honesty, and respectful collaboration."
Your Thoughts · FRQ

Before We Answer

  • Why do we need to give AI clear rules like this?
  • What happens if the prompt is vague or incomplete?
Your Turn

Write Three Rules for Your AI

Imagine you've been asked to program an AI that helps manage someone's social media presence. It can suggest posts, captions, and replies, but you have to give it three important rules it must always follow. These rules will act like its core values, guiding how it communicates and what kind of advice it gives.

Write three clear, specific rules for your AI Social Media Manager. Try to avoid vague rules like "be nice." Be as clear and direct as possible.

Think About:

  • How should this AI handle sensitive topics?
  • Should it protect your privacy or identity?
  • How should it deal with bullying or negative comments?
  • Should it prioritize kindness? Honesty? Humor?
Back to Humans

Test the Instructions

Now it's time to test the instructions you created for your robot arm.

  • Leave a Chromebook with your manual open next to your robot arm.
  • Leave a piece of paper for feedback on your manual next to the chromebook.
  • We're going to rotate groups. Each group will try to use another group's robot arm based solely on the written manual.
This is not a test of the robot arm. It's a test of how well the manual communicates!
Revisions

Revise Your Manual

When you've tested out all of the other groups' robot arms:

  1. 1
    Read the feedback you were given.
  2. 2
    Revise your instructions to be clearer, more complete, or better structured.
  3. 3
    Optional: use AI to help edit for clarity or tone.
Follow the guidelines: you must provide a starting point for the AI. You can only paste its output over text you created yourself.