In a bold step toward promoting ethical use of artificial intelligence in classrooms, the Laguna Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) has unveiled AI Trust You, a free Chrome extension designed to bring clarity and accountability to student use of AI tools. Developed entirely in-house, the browser extension empowers both teachers and students to embrace AI with transparency, without fear or confusion.
As artificial intelligence becomes more integrated into learning environments, schools face mounting concerns over how—and when—students use AI tools like ChatGPT and other generative technologies. LBUSD’s innovative response is AI Trust You, a tool embedded in Google Docs that guides students in disclosing their AI usage while helping teachers set clear expectations.
Rather than policing student behavior, AI Trust You encourages open dialogue and intentional AI integration. “I don’t want my teachers to be spending time trying to catch kids cheating,” said Michael Morrison, LBUSD’s Chief Technology Officer. “That’s the opposite of why they got into teaching.”
After two years of development under Morrison’s guidance, the extension officially launched in January and has already seen impressive adoption: over 600 teachers across 47 school districts nationwide have implemented it, with usage expanding every week.
AI Trust You is as simple as it is impactful. Teachers can access the tool from a dropdown menu in Google Docs, where they select from four AI usage categories: Content Creation, Content Understanding, Research Assistance, and Audio-Visual Generation. From there, AI Trust You generates assignment guidelines that clarify acceptable AI usage. Students then report how they used AI, and the tool provides a citation they can include in their work, promoting accountability without judgment.
This workflow is designed to be flexible. Not every assignment requires AI Trust You, Morrison explains, but it’s especially useful for high-value tasks where ethical use and process transparency are crucial.
Initial feedback suggests that the extension is having a real impact on classroom culture. In one pilot, a teacher reviewed AI usage declarations with each student individually and found every report to be accurate and honest. “The teacher said, ‘I could not believe how honest they were,’” Morrison recalled. “It proved that kids want to be honest, and given the opportunity, a lot will be.”
AI Trust You not only reduces stress among students, who now have a tool to express their process, but also reassures teachers who might otherwise be wary of AI’s influence on learning integrity.
A standout feature of AI Trust You is its free access model. While the district may charge for advanced analytics in the future to help schools monitor usage trends, the core functionality will remain free. Importantly, the extension does not collect personal data, protecting student privacy while providing meaningful insights on how AI is used in learning.
The launch of AI Trust You comes at a time when educators across the U.S. are grappling with how to manage AI in the classroom, balancing innovation with academic integrity. For many, AI Trust You offers a practical solution that promotes trust and honesty without stifling creativity or learning potential.
A high school principal in New Jersey even reported “getting the chills” when first introduced to the tool—a testament to how deeply the problem of AI misuse resonates with school leaders.
“This has the potential to make our school culture better,” Morrison said. “And that’s a pretty hard thing to accomplish with other tools. This is so simple. I feel like it’s almost a no-brainer.”
LBUSD is continuing to enhance AI Trust You by developing analytics features that can help schools better understand how AI is used in their classrooms. In the meantime, any district or educator can try the tool by visiting the AI Trust You homepage, where demos and sign-ups are readily available.
With growing interest and widespread applicability, AI Trust may soon become a national standard for navigating the educational AI era, with honesty at its core.
