Student Workshop "Artificial Intelligence for Beginners": Early practice for aspiring AI experts

On June 7th, 2024, an exciting 3-hour workshop for young AI enthusiasts took place: The Chair of Explainable Machine Learning, in cooperation with the Student Research Center (SFZ) of the Technology Alliance Upper Franconia (TAO), conducted the workshop "Artificial Intelligence for Beginners." This workshop offered students from the 9th grade onwards the opportunity to take their first steps into the fascinating world of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Nine motivated students from Bamberg and the surrounding area took part in this exciting workshop and received a basic introduction to the principles of AI. Most excitingly, the participants were able to train a simple AI model using real data. They were guided step by step through the main phases of model training, data preprocessing, and model evaluation.

They programmed in Python, and the students received a brief introduction to its main features. Ethical considerations were also addressed, including how AI can be used responsibly and its potential impact on society.

The workshop was aimed not only at those considering a career in the technology sector but also at anyone who wanted to broaden their knowledge. No prior knowledge was required – just curiosity and interest in the subject.

Thanks to the cooperation with TAO's Student Research Center (SFZ), which offers students the opportunity to conduct independent research in the fields of computer science, natural sciences, materials science and technology, this workshop was a complete success. It gave the young participants a first practical insight into the world of AI and perhaps sparked the interest of some to delve deeper into this promising technology in the future.