Read the fine print: what 2 AI tools do with your data
"Free" AI tools are paid for with something. Actually read the privacy policy and terms of 2 AI tools you use, quote the clauses that matter, decode them in plain language — then check whether an AI summary of the same policy tells the truth.
Posted by The AI Internships
The work brief
- 01Pick 2 AI tools you actually use and open their real privacy policy + terms of service.
- 02Hunt for the clauses that matter: what data they collect, whether your chats train their models, how to opt out, what happens when you delete your account, age requirements.
- 03Quote each key clause exactly and note where you found it (section name). Screenshot one.
- 04Ask ChatGPT or Gemini to summarise the same policy, then check its summary against the clauses you read — note what it nails and what it glosses over.
- 05Write the plain-language decode: "In simple words, when you use X, you agree to…" — and one action you took after reading (e.g. turned off training on your chats).
What you’ll produce
Submission standard
Submit the tools, quoted clauses with locations, a screenshot of one clause, the plain-language decode, and the action you took. Real quotes are checkable — paraphrases from memory fail. Include your AI workflow — the summary prompt you used and where the AI’s version diverged from the real text. Paste the direct link to at least one policy page you quoted so we can confirm the wording is exact.
The 2 tools and links/names of the documents you read
Short answerRequiredThe key clauses, quoted exactly, with section locations — data collected, training use, deletion, age
Quote each key clause word-for-word from the live document with exact section names; paraphrases from memory fail.
Written responseRequiredScreenshot of one clause in the actual document
Image uploadRequiredThe plain-language decode a classmate would understand, plus the setting/action you changed after reading
Written responseRequired
You’ll complete these inside your private workspace.
What you must submit as proof
This brief requires evidence an AI can’t fabricate.
Direct link to one policy/terms page you quoted
A direct link to at least one of the exact privacy-policy/terms pages you quoted, so we can check the wording.
Public linkRequired
Submissions without this evidence cannot be submitted.
Protect other people in your proof. Blur faces, names, phone numbers and email addresses before you upload, and refer to anyone you worked with by role or number ("Listener 1", "the stall owner"). Your proof is only ever used to check your work — it is never published, never appears on your certificate, and is never shown in your public portfolio.
How your work is evaluated
The passing benchmark is 70/100.
Actually read
29%Quotes are real, correctly located, and cover the clauses that matter.
Decode accuracy
29%The plain-language version is faithful — neither alarmist nor naive.
Acted on it
14%A real setting/behaviour change followed from the reading.
Quotes match the live document
29%Auto-fail if the linked page doesn't contain the quoted wording, or the quotes are paraphrased/invented.
How we grade your AI usage
Using AI is the point — it’s the skill this certificate proves. You’ll answer three short questions about how you used it: what you asked, what was wrong with its first answer, and what you changed. Specific, honest answers score high. “I pasted the brief and submitted the answer” scores near zero.