Tenet·Feature Guides 03 · Unapproved-AI Detection & Blocking ← All guides
Guide 03 · Approved-AI Control

Unapproved-AI Detection & Blocking

A district decides which AI tools are allowed. Tenet enforces that allowlist on the device, and because it recognizes AI behavior, not just known URLs, it can catch brand-new tools that a traditional blocklist would miss.

Basic, free
What it is

An approved-AI allowlist, enforced where the student actually is

Districts do not want every AI chatbot on the open web available to students. Tenet lets a district choose exactly which of the supported platforms are in play, and then enforces that choice in the browser. If a student navigates to an AI tool that is not approved, Tenet blocks it on the spot, before any prompt is sent. Approved tools get the full governance treatment from the other guides; everything else is simply off-limits.

Why it matters

The blocklist treadmill

New AI chatbots launch constantly. A web filter that blocks AI by maintaining a list of known URLs is always one step behind: the moment a new tool appears, students find it, and the district is exposed until someone adds it to the list. That is a losing race.

Tenet approaches it from the other direction. Instead of only matching known addresses, it can recognize when a page is behaving like an AI chatbot. That means the approved-AI policy holds even against tools the district has never heard of, which is exactly where the risk lives.

Why it sells
“A blocklist catches the AI tools you already know about. Tenet also catches the ones you do not.”
How it works

Two complementary mechanisms

Allowlist enforcement on the supported platforms

For the platforms Tenet supports, the district turns each one on or off. An unapproved platform is blocked before a student can use it, and the block happens locally so there is no lag.

Behavioral recognition for the unknown ones

Tenet can identify when a site is acting like an AI chatbot, rather than relying only on a name it has seen before. That is how it catches new or obscure AI tools a URL list would let through.

Coach, do not punish

When something is blocked, the student sees a clear message, framed the way the district configures it. The recommended posture is to coach and adjust, not to punish normal mistakes.

Pairs with your filter

This is why Tenet is additive, not a replacement

A web filter governs the whole internet: social media, gaming, inappropriate sites, and so on. That is its job, and Tenet does not replace it. Tenet is the specialist for the AI layer: which AI tools are allowed, and what happens inside the ones that are. The two work side by side, and most districts keep both.

QuestionWeb filterTenet
Blocks known AI site URLsYesYes
Catches a brand-new AI tool it has never seenNot until the list is updatedRecognizes the behavior
Governs what happens inside an approved AI toolNoYes, fully
Per-class control of which AI is allowedNoYes (Pro)
Configuration

What the admin does

Pick the approved platforms

In the dashboard, choose which of the supported AI tools students may use district-wide. Everything else is blocked automatically.

Optional per-class control (Pro)

With Pro, a teacher can narrow the approved list further for their own class, for example allowing one tool during a research unit and none during exams.

Who it sells to

Lead with the right person

Director of IT

You stop playing whack-a-mole with new AI sites. The policy holds even against tools you have not catalogued, and it works alongside your existing filter rather than fighting it.

Superintendent

A clear, enforceable answer to “which AI are our students allowed to use?” instead of “whatever they can reach.”

Teacher

During an exam you can ensure students are not quietly opening some unknown AI tool you have never heard of.

Common questions

FAQ

Does this replace our content filter?
No. It pairs with it. The filter governs the whole web; Tenet specializes in the AI layer and what happens inside approved AI tools.
What does the student see when something is blocked?
A clear, district-configured message. The recommended framing is supportive: we coach and adjust, we do not punish normal mistakes.
Is this a Pro feature?
The district-wide approved-AI allowlist and blocking are included free in Basic. Per-class control of the allowlist is Pro.
Honest limits

Say this before they ask

Where to set expectations

  • Enforcement happens in Chrome. A web filter still does the heavy lifting for the rest of the internet and for other browsers.
  • Full governance (rules, DLP, safety) applies to the supported platforms. For tools outside that set, the protective action is to block them, not to govern inside them.
Keep reading

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