Breakout Box: AI Mission

Our power grid is under attack. A hostile cyber force has deployed a virus designed to disrupt our infrastructure and send the country into darkness. The virus is wreaking havoc across key power hubs, causing blackouts in multiple regions. If it isn’t stopped soon, we’ll face a nationwide disaster.

The Breakout Box: AI Mission, takes students on a 35-minute immersive adventure where they apply computational thinking and problem-solving to successfully combat the malicious digital attack. From the moment they step inside the custom-built immersive learning space, students will experiment with game-based learning to build their critical thinking, collaboration, and logical reasoning skills.

Learning Objectives

Standards Alignments + Connections

Maryland Computer Science Standards Connections

10.NI.C.01: Illustrate how sensitive data and critical infrastructure can be affected by malware and other attacks and recommend security measures to address various scenarios based on factors such as efficiency, feasibility, and ethical impacts

12.AP.A.01: Describe how artificial intelligence drives many software and physical systems (e.g., autonomous robots, computer vision, pattern recognition, test analysis).

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills Connections

127.M.TAFCS.4.B: Communicate an understanding of binary representation of data in computer systems, perform conversions between decimal and binary number systems, and count in binary number systems

127.M.TAFCS.4.I: Communicate an understanding of and use conditional statements within a programmed story, game, or animation

127.M.TACYBCAP.9.B: Describe the integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning in cybersecurity

127.M.TAGMPD.9.C: Demonstrate an understanding of artificial intelligence and develop and implement artificial intelligence;

Virginia Computer Science Standards of Learning Connections

CSF.AP.2.D: Analyze the outcomes of programs to identify logic and syntax errors.

CSF.AP.3.A: Read and interpret algorithms and programs expressed using plain language, pseudocode, and text-based programming languages.

CSF.CYB.1.A: Describe ways data and computing systems can be threatened by malware, ransomware, social engineering, phishing, and other cyberattacks.

CSF.CYB.1.B: Compare strategies to protect data and computing systems from malware, ransomware, social engineering, phishing, and other cyberattacks.

CSF.DA.3.A: Evaluate the quality of training data: completeness, accuracy, consistency, and relevance.

CSF.DA.4.A: Explain the use of training data and the role it has in the development of machine learning models.

Activity Components

Activity

Participants will control and combat the virus as they work to defend the systems that are still online. While training various AI systems to identify and fight the virus, students will work to restore power to their city hub and prevent the hacker from a complete takeover.

Students will collaborate to track the virus and identify how the hacker got in and will combat the attack to seal those leaks. By the end of the experience, students will be able to understand how AI can look in different contexts and the importance of teamwork in AI and cybersecurity fields.

Post Laboratory Engagement

As a follow up to this game, we recommend our activity, AI Decision Trees.

This will allow students to delve further into their understanding of AI as they learn how AI quickly sorts through information and classifies it.

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