How AI works: An introduction coming to a school near you

The critical importance of tech skills across industries sends a clear signal: In order to meet the expectations of future administrators and employers, elementary to high school students will need to learn expertise unavailable to their parents' generation. Today's leading innovation technology is machine learning, and to address the need for this vital skill set, the latest offering from the longtime partnership of Microsoft and code.org is a new course in artificial intelligence (AI) and its societal and ethical implications designed for students in elementary and high school. AI's relevance cannot be understated, as it is the very basis for self-driving cars, but it also powers devices we've already become accustomed to, such as Amazon Alexa, interactive programming, telemed appointments, and online learning. Those are some very big responsibilities to be tackled by Gen Z. As code.org points out,despite the great benefits to society, the ethical impact can't be ignored: "How does algorithmic bias impact social justice or deep fakes impact democracy? How does society cope with rapid job automation? By learning how to consider the ethical issues that AI raises, these future computer scientists will be better able to envision the appropriate safeguards that help to maximize the benefits of AI technologies and reduce their risks."