Conversations About AI: What Our Students Are Learning

When I ask students if they have ever heard the term AI, most of them eagerly say yes and start sharing what they know. Many mention examples like Waymo, Siri, and Alexa. However, when I ask what AI stands for, only a few can correctly say artificial intelligence. And when I ask them to explain what that means, even fewer can describe it clearly. Students recognize that AI exists and can point to where they see it in their lives, but many don’t fully understand what it actually is. Introducing the concept of artificial intelligence, especially to young learners, can be challenging. Thankfully, with resources from DayofAI.org, explaining and exploring AI concepts becomes more manageable and engaging.

To help students grasp the meaning of “artificial intelligence,” we begin by breaking down the two words. We discuss what artificial means and what intelligence means, and then we put the ideas together. This simple approach makes it easier for even our youngest learners to understand what AI is and how it works.

Sixth graders have been exploring machine learning using resources from the Machine Learning for Kids website. They’ve trained machines to recognize colors, distinguish between cats and dogs, and classify text as either an insult or a compliment. Right now they are using pre-trained models to create face filters that detect and track facial features. Through these hands-on projects, students experience what it’s like to teach a machine using data sets. They also learn about bias in data and how it can affect an AI’s predictions, which is an important concept in understanding fairness and accuracy in AI.

Seventh and eighth graders are focusing on prompt engineering, which is learning how to write clear and effective prompts when working with AI tools. One of the activities they have done is Say What You See, where students practice describing an image as precisely as possible so that AI can generate or interpret it accurately. This exercise helps them understand how wording, detail, and clarity influence the AI’s output. In addition to learning to write stronger prompts, students are also learning about the limitations of AI. We discussed how AI systems don’t actually think or understand like humans, and how they can sometimes produce inaccurate or biased information. We emphasize the importance of fact-checking any information generated by AI and using it as a tool for learning, not as a source you can always trust. These lessons help students build digital literacy and develop responsible habits when using emerging technologies.

For younger students, AI comes alive through interactive and playful activities. Using programs like Quick, Draw!, they see how AI can recognize their doodles and predict what they’re drawing. In Animated Drawings, they bring their own artwork to life using AI animation tools. They also enjoy playing Semantris, a fun word association game powered by AI that helps them see how computers recognize and connect meanings between words. It’s a playful way to introduce how AI learns from language patterns. Meanwhile, Kindergarten teacher Mrs. Simon used Gemini Storybook Gem to generate a class story that featured every student as a character.

Through these activities, students aren’t just using technology—they’re learning how it works. They’re beginning to see that AI isn’t magic, but something people design, teach, and make better. These lessons and projects help students understand AI and encourage them to think carefully and creatively about the smart technologies they use every day.