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SQ/EN

Course

How Computers & the Internet Work

Short, code-free lessons on how the internet moves data, what artificial intelligence really is, and the ethics that come with it.

What this course promises

Pilot
For
Curious beginners who want a code-free explanation of networks and AI.
Prerequisites
No technical experience required
Expected effort
About 75 minutes, including the packet-journey systems practice
Tools and materials
A modern browser
Final capability
Explain one network journey and evaluate one AI ethics case using evidence.

By the end, you should be able to

  • Explain how internet requests find and reach services
  • Distinguish useful AI concepts from misleading claims
  • Discuss an AI decision from several human perspectives

Content status: evolving · reviewed 2026-08-21

  1. № 01 · The internet

  2. № 02 · Artificial intelligence

    Module checkpoint: produce evidence

    You should be able to

    • • Describe what AI is without reaching for either hype or dismissal
    • • Ask what a system learned from, and whether the situation it is used in resembles those examples
    • • Change your mind in either direction on the strength of an answer, and notice that you did
    • • Say where the narrow and general split stops being a reliable map
    • • Separate whether a system works from whether it should be built

    Take a claim about AI you meet this week, in an advert, a news item or a notice from an institution. Write the one question you would ask about it, then say what answer would make you believe it and what answer would make you stop.

    Evidence: One question, plus the two answers that would move you in opposite directions.

Continue learning: 0 of 5 lessons are marked complete. The required packet-journey systems practice is not yet complete. A page mark alone is not evidence of learning. Practice completion records participation; certificate requests are reviewed by a person.

Your progress is saved on this device only. On iPhone it can be cleared if you don't visit for about a week, so export it to keep it safe.

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