AI is changing the world, but for students, this rapid shift has brought a lot of uncertainty. Our brief was to demystify this technology and prepare youth to be responsible AI changemakers. To make complex AI concepts accessible, we designed a fictional world to serve as a proxy. This gave students a safe, engaging space to explore while following in the footsteps of real Google researchers. They simulate real-world Google research case studies, and at the end of each quest, they are rewarded with a video showing the actual Google research their gameplay was based on, bridging the gap between fiction and reality.

 This gave students a safe, engaging space to explore while following in the footsteps of real Google researchers. They simulate real-world project pipelines, and at the end of each quest, they are rewarded with a video showing the actual Google research their gameplay was based on, bridging the gap between fiction and reality.

As the lead designer, my focus was to make abstract concepts emotionally resonant. I worked intimately with Stanford’s educators to understand the pedagogy and Google’s technical teams to push the limits of the tech, translating our conceptual focus on empathy directly into the visual execution. We designed distinct environments and empathetic characters with deep backstories so students felt a genuine desire to help. We built these worlds by combining AI-generated imagery with custom, optimized 3D WebGL assets. Expressive toon shading and immersive audio brought the simulation to life, allowing students to clearly see the ethical impact of their decisions.

Since launch, AI Quests has been picked up by Raspberry Pi's "Experience AI" curriculum and is now used by over 250,000 students globally. Two quests have successfully launched, and a third is currently in the works.