The workshops were run by the brilliant Nick Nurock from Standup Computing and involved all students from Years 4, 5, 6, and 7. The main goal was to de-mystify the concept of AI - showing students how this powerful technology is built and how it impacts our everyday world.

Nick brought along fantastic equipment for each group to use, including tablets, Raspberry Pi computers, and webcams as part of the practical workshops. First they explored the concept of machine learning by training an AI system to recognise the difference between a human and a Minion! They also experimented with object detection and facial mapping/ recognition techniques. Along with machine learning, the students delved into the world of generative AI where they created video and image content and listened to a comparison of AI-generated versus human-created music.

Crucially, the workshops also included an important discussion around the wider impacts of AI, its potential weaknesses and limitations, focusing especially on the issue of bias evident in the AI-generated content pupils had created.

The workshops were a fantastic opportunity for our younger students to explore the fundamentals of technology and computational thinking in a fun, accessible environment, leaving them with a much clearer understanding of this exciting subject.

A huge thank you to Nick for providing such a great, inspiring, and hands-on experience for our pupils.