Comparing 2 Years of Empowering Families to Solve Real-World Problems with AI

Area of Science:

• Technology Education
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) Literacy

Background:

• A global nonprofit initiative engaged approximately 20,000 students, parents, and educators from under-resourced backgrounds across 13 countries.
• The program focused on developing AI prototypes to address community-identified problems over a multi-week competition format.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the interest and capacity of under-resourced communities in AI literacy and application.
• To identify effective pedagogical and implementation strategies for AI education programs.
• To explore methods for engaging industry mentors and measure changes in participant self-efficacy and ethical innovation.

Main Methods:

• A global AI competition involving families and educators in identifying community issues and developing AI solutions.
• Curricular development focused on AI knowledge, skills, value-sensitive design, and ethical innovation.
• Engagement of industry mentors to provide support and guidance to participants.

Main Results:

• A significant interest in AI literacy and application was observed in underserved communities.
• Key curricular and implementation elements were identified that facilitate the application of AI skills to real-world problems.
• Effective strategies for industry mentor engagement were established.
• Participants demonstrated increased self-efficacy and ability to apply AI tools.

Conclusions:

• AI education is highly valued and feasible in under-resourced communities.
• Structured programs incorporating ethical considerations can empower students to use AI for social impact.
• Further development of AI literacy curricula is crucial for global equity in technology education.