How to Teach Artificial Intelligence (AI) in School?

AI is shaping industries, economies, and everyday life. Be it about self-driving cars people using voice assistants and everyone trying out automated healthcare, AI has reached everywhere.

But the question is, are schools preparing students for this new AI world?

Teaching AI in schools is merely not making kids understand coding and robotics. Instead, they should understand the system, logic, ethics, and what actually goes behind the picture. There should be the right tools by side, be it a STEM lab, the best robotics kits, or AI-integrated curriculums - everything altogether will make AI learning possible. Let's understand how!

Why should schools teach AI?

Many feel that AI education is for someone who wants to get into engineering. But, that's not the reality. It is actually for all those students who want to understand how technology impacts the world. In fact, a good AI curriculum helps students develop:

• Computational thinking skills. They learn how AI models process data and make decisions.
• Their problem-solving abilities improve. AI allows students to break down challenges into logical steps.
• They get to understand the importance of ethics and responsibility. They understand bias, privacy, and how to use AI responsibly.

By designing the right AI and robotics curriculum for kids, schools help students learn skills that are essential in every industry. And since it's a work that we at Blix have been doing for a long time, we deeply understand what schools must have in their AI curriculum.

What is the best approach to teaching AI in schools?

Now let's get into the main part. The approach - whether it should be all theoretical or completely practical? How to start? And more importantly, when to start?

1. Start with the basics

Students should first understand what AI is, how it works, and where it’s used. Have discussions and explain them

• How AI-powered voice assistants work like Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant and more
• How Netflix and shopping apps give us personalized recommendations
• How self-driving cars work and how many industries are automated through AI.

The motive here should be to make AI more relatable and not just a new modern concept. If schools are able to do this, students grasp the significance quickly.

2. Try AI & robotics kits

Coding is a part of AI, but AI is also about building smart systems. Schools should integrate robotics kits that allow students to:

• Train AI models to recognize objects, sounds, and gestures
• Use AI-powered robotics to automate simple tasks
• Experiment with machine learning algorithms in real-world applications

These robotics kits for schools will actually help kids to learn even the most difficult concepts by doing. The complete process of learning will get more interactive and practical.

3. Implement AI in the school's curriculum

To make learning progressive throughout, schools must have a well-designed AI curriculum. For example

• For beginners, the curriculum must cover basic AI concepts & simple automation.
• At the intermediate level, students can start working with AI-based robotics projects.
• Advanced level demands for difficult problems. Here students can learn how they can solve critical problems using AI, how to work with AI ethically, and all other real-world applications.

Now,

Why are STEM labs important for AI Learning?

A STEM lab in school is a dedicated space where students experiment, build, and innovate. These labs actually:

• Make AI education interactive and fun.
• Allows students to work on AI-powered robotics projects.
• Provide access to AI tools, robotics kits, and coding platforms.

Blix, with years of experience in installing STEM labs in schools, knows what schools need the most. We do the complete STEM lab for schools set up in India as per the NEP 2020 guidelines. We offer 30 sessions per grade, and even teacher training and support. We also do quarterly audits of the lab to ensure every kit is in the best working condition.

What is the future of AI in schools?

At Blix, we have come a long way with AI. We have worked on voice and gesture-controlled AI models and projects that allow kids to train AI. But we know this is the beginning of a bigger picture. Schools that have integrated AI and robotics today will definitely give students a competitive edge in the workforce of tomorrow.

The time to introduce AI education is now. Are your classrooms ready for the future?