Empowering Youth in the Digital Age

AI & Ethics Education

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100+
Students Reached
25+
Workshops Delivered

Our Workshops in Action

See how we're empowering students across different age groups to build critical thinking and AI skills.

MindShield Extension

Our browser extension helps people identify and resist manipulation techniques in digital content.

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Educational Workshops

Interactive sessions for elementary and middle school students to develop critical thinking skills. High schoolers can lead programs and earn volunteer hours!

Youth Leadership

We empower young people to become ambassadors for digital wellbeing, leading workshops and shaping the future of ethical technology.

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MindShield Browser Extension

An AI-powered Chrome Extension that detects manipulative design patterns and protects your cognitive freedom while browsing online.

MindShield Focus Areas

Education Over Restriction: Empowers users to identify manipulation tactics across all websites and provides techniques to avoid traps rather than just blocking access.

Real-Time Learning: Encourages mindful navigation of challenging content while maintaining access to essential information and sites.

Regaining Control: By understanding mechanisms such as infinite scroll, phantom notifications, and emotional triggers, users can reclaim the ability to choose how they interact with technology.

Protecting Your Resources: Awareness of these tactics enables protection of your time, mental energy, and decision-making autonomy.

Make Informed Choices: Recognizing manipulation patterns is the critical first step toward maintaining digital freedom and intentional browsing.

Content Analysis

Automatically detects potentially misleading content and provides educational context to help students make informed decisions.

Bias Detection

Identifies potential bias in news articles and opinion pieces, helping students recognize different perspectives.

Progress Tracking

Monitor your critical thinking development over time with detailed analytics and personalized feedback.

Download From Chrome Web Store

Start protecting your cognitive freedom with our free browser extension.

Download Now

Educational Workshops

CogniCode offers engaging workshops designed to build digital literacy and technical skills (Python and AI/ML concepts). Our programs are tailored for the youth at different programming levels.

Middle School Workshop

Workshops

Grades: 4-8

Duration: 60-minute interactive sessions

Focus:

  • Students explore how AI systems work and how they shape attention and emotion through hands-on experiments.

Format: Hands-on activities, group discussions, and real-world examples

Schedule Workshop
High School Ambassadors

High School Chapter Program

Grades: 9-12

Join CogniCode!

  • High school students can earn verified volunteer hours by leading workshops, mentoring younger peers, and helping build tools like MindShield or contributing to our Substack CogniNotes!

Application Process: Send us an email!

Apply Now

Our Workshops in Action

See how we're empowering students across different age groups to build critical thinking and AI skills.

About CogniCode

CogniCode is a youth-led initiative defending cognitive liberty in the age of AI. We teach not just how AI works, but also how it influences attention, behavior, and decision-making so young people can protect their cognitive autonomy and participate meaningfully in a democratic society transformed by technology.

Our Mission

Use hands-on experiments and Python to explain AI concepts in the context of ethics.

Our Approach

Rather than promoting fear or avoidance of AI technology, we focus on building genuine understanding and agency. Our programs emphasize hands-on learning, critical thinking development, and ethical reasoning.

Core Principles

Education Over Restriction: We believe young people need to understand the technology they are growing up with.

Practical Agency: Our goal is to develop real-world skills that students can apply immediately in their digital lives.

Ethical Technology Use: We promote approaches to AI that enhance rather than replace human capabilities and judgment.

Community-Centered: We work in community spaces to create supportive environments for digital wellbeing.

Meet Our Team

CogniCode is led by passionate high schoolers committed to responsible AI and its direct effects on people.

👤

Shivanshi Dutt

Founder & Director

Shivanshi Dutt is the founder of CogniCode, a youth-led initiative focused on defending cognitive liberty in the age of artificial intelligence. Passionate about the intersection of technology and public policy, Shivanshi Dutt is especially interested in how AI systems influence learning, decision-making, and democratic participation. As a student leader and writer on tech policy, she launched CogniCode after recognizing that many young people use AI tools daily without understanding how these systems shape attention, behavior, and thought. Through workshops, research, and policy advocacy, she works to equip students with the technical knowledge and critical thinking skills needed to remain autonomous and informed in an increasingly algorithmic world.

👤

Katelyn Lara

Outreach Coordinator

Katelyn Lara serves as Outreach Coordinator for CogniCode, where she leads student outreach efforts. Passionate about equitable access to technology education, she works to ensure that conversations about AI and cognitive autonomy reach diverse student communities.

Join Our Mission

Whether you're an educator, parent, student, or community leader, there are many ways to get involved with CogniCode's work.

Contact Us

Get in Touch

Have questions about our workshops, extension, or want to partner with us? Feel free to reach out to us!p>

Send Us a Message

Other Ways to Connect

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @cogni.code

CogniNotes: CogniNotes on Substack