The Mark Cuban Foundation is partnering with digital consultant company Perficient’s Houston office to bring a first-of-its-kind, free artificial intelligence camp to high school students in Houston.
Applications, which are open now online, will close September 30.
“With the proliferation of AI, it’s more important than ever to increase AI education – especially among today’s youth,” Bill Davis, senior vice president at Perficient, says in a news release.
The curriculum will focus on the latest developments in the world of AI and Generative AI. The camp — held at Perficient’s Houston office on November 2, 9 and 16 — will provide students with necessary tools and technologies to help inspire a new generation of AI users and professionals. The camp aims to help underserved high school students with a focus on recruiting students of color, first generation college students, girls, and those from lower to moderate income households.
Former Dallas Mavericks owner and 'Shark Tank' star Mark Cuban wants to prepare kids for the future.
Photo by Tim Heitman/Getty Images
“As AI continues to become an undeniable force in all of our lives, it’s crucial that we open the door to this knowledge, especially to young people who want to explore it,” Cuban says in the release. “While technology expands and becomes more advanced, it becomes more critical that we ensure our students are prepared when they apply for schools or jobs in the future. Thanks to our work with Perficient, the bootcamp will offer an avenue to explore this fascinating field of technology to any student, no matter their means.”
Students can select from six tracks in the course that include healthcare, arts and entertainment, business and entrepreneurship, computer science, sports science, or education and career readiness. The AI Bootcamps are introductory and accessible to students in 9th through 12th grade with an interest in technology without any prior computer science experience. Transportation, resources and food will be provided.
As classes like STEM increase in popularity more programs have been created to help increase interest. More than 233,000 high school students in Texas took Career and Technical Education courses focused on STEM from 2020-2021.
“We’re proud to partner with the Mark Cuban Foundation to educate the next generation of technology leaders, mentoring students in AI, and ensuring the future of STEM,” Davis said in a news release.
