Exploring AI with Minecraft Education in Honor of Safer Internet Day

AI’s presence in our lives is continually expanding, whether it’s at home, in the office, or within educational settings. According to the latest insights from Microsoft’s Global Online Safety Survey, there’s been a significant uptick in the use of generative AI globally. By 2024, 51% of people are engaging with this technology, up from 38% in 2023. Not surprisingly, Generation Z is leading this trend, with 64% of young adults reporting some form of interaction with AI. With this surge, it’s crucial for us—especially those entrenched in technology and gaming—to support and guide the youth in navigating AI’s potential, ensuring they explore it safely while nurturing their curiosity and creativity.

Marking Safer Internet Day 2025, Minecraft Education is debuting a fresh chapter in its CyberSafe series. This engaging addition lets players delve into AI’s risks and opportunities through interactive, game-based scenarios. Players will craft guidelines on responsible AI usage. Welcome to CyberSafe AI: Dig Deeper, available for free on the Minecraft Marketplace and in Minecraft Education!

### Safely Navigating Real-world AI Challenges

The latest downloadable content (DLC) immerses players as students orchestrating a school fundraiser. As they explore using AI technology to efficiently produce the 3D-printed animals they designed in STEM class, they’re confronted with typical challenges and potential risks associated with AI as a creative tool. They learn that AI outputs may vary from expectations and understand the importance of verifying AI-derived information against reliable sources. Though the DLC doesn’t directly involve using generative AI technologies, it presents challenges and scenarios to enlighten players on responsible use. Ultimately, players grasp AI’s dual nature—beneficial or detrimental—in the real world, honing their critical insight into AI’s roles in their lives.

“Human creativity is the heart of AI,” remarks Carlos Figueiredo, Mojang Studios’ Director of Player Safety. “This initiative empowers educators, children, and families with the tools to harness AI safely, boosting human ingenuity and its positive global impact. I’m thrilled to continue expanding our CyberSafe content, which has already impacted tens of millions worldwide.”

### A Head Start on AI Literacy and Skills

CyberSafe AI: Dig Deeper builds upon the previous successes of the CyberSafe DLC series, freely available on the Minecraft Marketplace and Minecraft Education. This series has been instrumental in teaching young players essential digital citizenship skills, such as password protection, data privacy, and managing online bullying. The previous year’s release, Good Game, inspired millions of young gamers to construct ethical codes of conduct within the game. Thanks to the collaboration between Xbox and Minecraft, the CyberSafe series has seen more than 80 million downloads since its 2022 launch.

With Dig Deeper, players learn vital inquiries related to AI interactions and AI-generated content, fostering an informed approach to navigating AI systems. The goal is clear: despite AI’s extensive capabilities, it requires human intelligence, oversight, and intervention to operate safely and effectively. For more guidance, refer to the Minecraft Family Cyber Toolkit, perfect for navigating the CyberSafe DLC series.

For additional resources and tips on family gaming, head to xbox.com/family. You’ll find a wealth of information about Xbox’s family offerings, including privacy tools, the Xbox Family Settings app, and Community Standards.

For further details on Microsoft’s Global Online Survey results and efforts to mitigate risks from abusive AI-generated content, read up on Microsoft’s Safer Internet Day 2025 blog.