9-12:M1W1: AI & You: Innovate, Solve, Lead the Future

This week kicks off students’ journey into Artificial Intelligence by exploring its core concepts and clearing up common misconceptions. Students will learn that AI involves machines performing tasks that usually require human intelligence—like recognizing speech, identifying faces, or making recommendations.

They will discover how Machine Learning lets computers learn from data and how Data Science helps organize and analyze that data to support AI. To deepen their understanding, students will create a mind map centered on “What is AI?” and connect ideas about Machine Learning, Data Science, and real-world AI examples such as smart assistants and face recognition.

In group discussions, students will share their mind maps, compare perspectives, and explore what surprises or questions they have about AI. Then, they will take on a “Myth vs. Fact” challenge to separate popular myths—like “AI is smarter than humans” or “AI will take all our jobs”—from reality.

Finally, students will reflect personally by journaling their thoughts on what AI can and cannot do, what surprised them, and what questions remain. To prepare for next week’s exploration of AI’s global impact, students will start collecting images and news stories that show AI in action around the world.

By the end of Week 1, students will have a solid foundation in AI concepts, a more informed view of AI’s capabilities and limits, and the curiosity to explore how AI shapes our lives and society.