Time is running out to apply for the Mark Cuban Foundation Artificial Intelligence (AI) Bootcamp. The bootcamp, hosted by Perficient, a leading global digital consultancy, will take place in cities across the U.S. including St. Louis, Detroit, Plano, and Houston.
The AI bootcamp is aimed at high school students in grades 9-12 who come from underserved communities. Participants will have the opportunity to learn the basics of AI during a four-week bootcamp, held on consecutive Saturdays from October 14th to November 4th. It is essential that students commit to attend all four sessions, which will take place from 1pm to 5pm CT.
No prior experience in computer science, programming, or robotics is necessary to participate in the bootcamp. Students and parents can submit their applications through markcubanai.org/perficientstlpr.
Throughout the bootcamp, students will explore various aspects of artificial intelligence, including ethical considerations and real-life applications such as TikTok recommendations, smart home assistants, facial recognition, and self-driving cars. They will also be introduced to Large Language Models like ChatGPT, which can answer questions, create stories, and generate computer code.
Trained volunteer corporate mentors with expertise in AI, machine learning, and data science will guide the students through the curriculum. Participants will have the opportunity to work with open source tools and develop their own AI applications related to Computer Vision, Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, and Generative AI.
The Mark Cuban Foundation provides the curriculum materials for the bootcamp and trains corporate volunteer mentors. They also recruit and evaluate applications from local students who are selected to attend the bootcamp. In collaboration with Perficient, the foundation offers food, transportation information, and access to laptops at no cost for students to use during the bootcamp.
The AI bootcamp, initiated by Mark Cuban in 2019, has already impacted over 900 students in cities like Dallas, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Detroit, and Atlantic City. The foundation aims to increase this number year after year.
Interested students can apply to the Mark Cuban Foundation AI Bootcamp before Friday, September 8th, 2023 at markcubanai.org/perficientstlpr. Additional information on camp locations and details can be found at markcubanai.org/faq.
