Applications are now closed for the fall ’24 cohort of AI4ALL Ignite. Learn more and sign up to be notified when applications re-open here.

FAQs

General

  • What is artificial intelligence?

    Great question! Even experts have a hard time agreeing on a single definition for artificial intelligence, or AI. We think about AI as a branch of computer science that allows computers to make predictions and decisions and solve problems.

  • Why is it important to include more people in AI?

    When artificial intelligence is created by a group that reflects the world we live in, we believe AI solutions will be more innovative, ethical, and will solve new problems. Looking to the future, we believe that everyone will be an AI consumer, so everyone deserves to have an understanding of how these technologies may be impacting their lives. Even more crucially, AI has the potential to amplify the biases of its creators. When a diversity of people is not involved in creating, guiding, regulating, and implementing AI, the risks for algorithmic bias and other unintended consequences are heightened. Finally, AI is poised to make a massive global economic impact which may negatively impact large segments of the population due to lack of access to AI education and other barriers. Even if the field continues on the current path, we’ll still face a shortage of adequately trained AI workers in the future.

  • Why do you focus on artificial intelligence and not computer science more broadly?

    We focus on AI because 2 of our 3 founders are leading AI researchers and saw the need to bridge the gap between existing computer science education and AI careers. Plus, the field of AI is significantly less diverse than the broader field of CS overall. For example, under 14% of AI researchers globally are women, whereas 26% of all people in the computing workforce are women.

  • Who develops your curriculum?

    AI4ALL’s programs are deeply rooted in research and continually tested and refined. Our curriculum is developed in-house by content experts and educators, reviewed by leading AI researchers and industry experts, and tested at top AI institutions around the world. You can learn more about our team here.

  • I work at a large company that uses data. How do I make sure we’re using the best ethical practices? Or, I’m building a product that uses AI. How do I build it in a way that mitigates bias?

    Concrete actions you can take to address bias and other risks include: 

    • Continually test, audit, and monitor AI for bias and its impact
    • Create standards around ethics and fairness (or leverage existing ones that interdisciplinary groups and AI leaders have already developed) 
    • Prioritize transparency in algorithms so people can understand how these systems arrive at predictions
    • Prioritize diversity and inclusion from the start. Though diversifying your technical team is not sufficient to ensuring ethical products, it is a crucial starting point.
  • Are there volunteer opportunities with AI4ALL?

    Yes! We offer volunteer opportunities each semester, typically for skilled AI professionals. You can read about our volunteer opportunities and express interest here.

  • Do you offer programs for high schoolers including summer programs?

    At this time, we don’t offer programs for high schoolers. You can read more about our difficult decision to put our high school programming on hiatus here. You may be interested in checking out our free curriculum for high school classrooms here.

  • What programs do you offer for college students?

    Starting in spring 2024, we will offer AI4ALL Ignite, a no-cost virtual accelerator that provides undergraduate students the opportunity to work on an AI portfolio project with mentorship and guidance from AI industry experts, a student symposium to showcase their work, and extensive and practical training in career readiness & the technical AI internship interview.

    After December 2023, we will no longer offer the College Pathways programs Discover AI or Apply AI.

  • How can I get access to AI4ALL Open Learning?

    AI4ALL Open Learning provides free AI curriculum for teachers of any subject to use in high school classrooms. You can access curriculum here. AI4ALL Open Learning is for high-school teachers ready to bring AI to students who have been historically excluded from tech fields.