Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming ever more present in our daily lives. AI is also being used in many different industries and systems that society depends on. This presents amazing possibilities, but also many risks. As AI-enabled systems enter into our most critical social institutions—such as for screening job applications, predicting criminal activity, or determining who receives loans—any issues in those underlying systems or how they’re being used can lead to real-world harms. While there are many ways to combat these potential issues, one of the ways is to make sure that the AI developers and users of tomorrow are well-positioned to understand and be able to critically evaluate these systems. 

For these reasons, we have developed TechHive AI as an online course for high school students to build their understanding of both AI and AI ethics. We want to invite youth who are interested in understanding both the technical side of AI and also the social and ethical aspects of AI to consider applying to be part of this program. Previous experience with AI is not required; instead we are looking for high school students who want to be part of, or lead, the conversation about the future of AI in our society. Each lesson is designed to engage participants in conversations and hands-on learning experiences that support their development of 21st century workforce skills. This project is funded through a grant by the National Science Foundation.