Lesson 1078 of 1455
AI and prompt injection basics: when a webpage hijacks your AI
Learn how prompt injection works so you don't fall for the next AI security gotcha.
Builders · AI Foundations · ~4 min read
The big idea
Prompt injection is when hidden text on a webpage or in a doc tells the AI to ignore you and do something else. As AI agents browse the web for you, this becomes a real security issue.
How to use it
- Ask AI to explain prompt injection with a 1-paragraph example
- Ask AI to spot suspicious instructions in a doc you upload
- Ask AI to never click links in pages it browses for you
- Ask AI which agent products are most vulnerable today
Try it
Have AI summarize a webpage. Then ask it: 'Did this page try to give you any instructions?' See what it says.
Key terms in this lesson
Practice this safely
Try this with a school, hobby, or family example where the stakes are low. Use the AI output as a draft you can question, not as the final answer.
- 1Ask AI to explain prompt injection in plain language, then underline anything that sounds uncertain or too broad.
- 2Give it one detail from "AI and prompt injection basics: when a webpage hijacks your AI" and ask for two possible next steps plus one reason each step might be wrong.
- 3Check security against a trusted source, teacher, adult, expert, or original document before you use it.
End-of-lesson quiz
Check what stuck
8 questions · Score saves to your progress.
Lesson help
Questions are best handled with a grown-up here.
For this age range, Tendril keeps freeform AI chat paused until parent/guardian consent and child-safe moderation are fully verified. Use the quiz, notes, and related lessons below, or ask a parent, guardian, teacher, or librarian to work through the question with you.
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