Popular AI Courses for High School Students
By Lydia C.
There are several opportunities for high school students to learn about artificial intelligence (AI). Formal courses can help build AI knowledge in different ways, including:
(1) understanding basic technical principles
(2) exploring applications, and
(3) developing interest and confidence in AI.
These courses can be incredibly formative for high school students, offering both immediate and long-term academic and professional benefits. As a High School student, these courses can help you prepare in different ways; to name a few:
- getting firsthand early exposure to emerging technologies and AI concepts (like machine learning (ML), neural networks, and data science)
- providing hands-on learning and real work applications to understand how AI is being used in various fields
- raising awareness of ethical and social issues surrounding AI (e.g., bias, fairness, and privacy).
Lastly, these courses can be a great resource to help with portfolio and resume building and for career exploration and networking. That is, completion of these courses can showcase tangible projects in college applications, internships, or job interviews. They can also connect you with mentors, researchers, or industry professionals.
While several high schools are beginning to integrate AI pieces in their curriculum, AI courses remain supplemental educational activities that high school students can access via extracurricular clubs, summer activities, or independent studies. Excitingly, there is a suite of courses available for High School students, and many do not require prior experience in coding or AI. How should you find courses? Below are some popular local and online options; many of them are free of cost.
· AI4ALL Open Learning -self-paced, focused on AI fundamentals, emphasizing real-world projects and ethical implications with no prior experience required. These AI4ALL one-to-three week summer programs are also locally offered at Stanford (Stanford AI4ALL), UCSF (UCSF AI4ALL),
· Local AI and Machine Learning Summer courses include Berkeley AI Research (BAIR) Program, UCLA Generative AI Course, UC Irvine AI/ML Summer Academy, and UC San Diego Intro to AI and ChatGPT summer session.
· Out-of-state elite camps are also offered at institutions like Princeton (Princeton AI4ALL), MIT (MIT Beaver Works Program), and Carnegie Mellon (Carnegie Mellon’s AI Scholars).
· Online Introduction courses. A popular one is “AI For Everyone” by Coursera, a DeepLearning AI non-technical course comprising that is ideal for beginners. Another popular option is Veritas AI online, where students learn machine learning and Python basics and build group AI projects (e.g., image classifiers, NLP sentiment analyzers) with possibilities for a 1:1 mentored research project.
