Primary school students in Cork are to mark the 50th anniversary of the movie 2001: Space Odyssey with a crash course on the philosophy of artificial intelligence and deep learning.
The CEIA HAL programme will provide an online resource kit for teachers of fifth and sixth class students, which will initiate discussion firstly around the AI HAL but then more widely and deeply about technology on a macro and micro level, from our society to our homes and the ethical consideration for the future.
Participating schools will be invited to send a representative group of students to share their learnings at a final event in June 2018, when students receive a certificate of completion.
“With devices like Alexa Echo, Apple HomePod and SmartLock in our homes, the intelligent personal assistant Siri and Google in our pockets, we have to become more aware that we are giving devices an incredible amount of personal data and control to machines. Our young people are growing up where this is normal practice and more and more common,” said Valerie Cowman, chair of the CEIA Skills & Education committee.
“This initiative is about giving students the opportunity to reflect on the control and information that we freely hand over, and about examining some of the potential outcomes in society as we give more and more to machines and machine learning.
“HAL was a concept 50 years ago, a warning of sorts, that is still valid today. We want the students to have fun, and to see the opportunities as well as the challenges of the incredible technology we have in our world today and potentially tomorrow.
“As an industry representative body, the CEIA – Cork’s Technology Network is committed to encouraging STEM learning and programmes. The HAL programme is a positive way to engage students in the exciting world of artificial intelligence. It is also a way to encourage students to think more profoundly about our use of technology and automation, robotics, surveillance and potential inequality as a result of AI in the future.
“The students will discuss the implications for our daily lives, society and the world around us, as the new frontier of ethics and risk assessment for emerging technology permeates our world.”
TechCentral Reporters
Subscribers 0
Fans 0
Followers 0
Followers