The Cyborg Challenge

Everyone works with AI differently. Find out how you do — and get a lot better at it.

Take the challenge

Human, centaur or cyborg?

Three ways of working with AI. None of them is the wrong answer — and by the end you’ll know which one is yours.

Illustration of a student in a University of Southampton t-shirt, thinking

01

Human

You do the work yourself. Knowing when not to reach for AI is a skill too.

Illustration of a centaur: human above the waist, robot horse below, thinking

02

Centaur

You split the task. AI takes one half, you take the half that needs your judgement.

Illustration of a child in a spacesuit and helmet, thinking

03

Cyborg

You work with it, blended — handing back and forth, checking and steering as you go.

What you’re getting into

How AI actually works

No hand-waving. What a language model is really doing when it answers you.

Using it properly here

What’s fine, what isn’t, and where to check — plus why Copilot is the one to use.

The awkward questions

Bias, ownership, the environment. The bits nobody likes talking about.

Prompting that works

Two simple frameworks — PREP and EDIT — that make a real difference.

Creativity and access

AI as a study partner, not a shortcut. Games included.

The final challenge

Ten questions. One answer: which kind of AI learner you are.

Cyborg Challenge characters: a robot in a spacesuit, a student in a University of Southampton t-shirt, and a half-human half-robot centaur

So — which one are you?

Jump in whenever. Your progress saves, so you can stop and pick it up later.

Take the challenge
University of Southampton

The Cyborg Challenge is an in-house resource made by staff across the University of Southampton.