Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Google Career Certificates · Google AI Essentials
Why we picked this: The clearest 10-minute plain-language explainer we've found — no jargon, no hype.
Watch on YouTube ↗New cohorts start on the 1st & 15th of every month — applications open
AI is moving faster than any classroom.
Some students will wait.
Until AI becomes just another school subject.
Others will start building now.
8 weeks. One real project. In English.
Daily live classes for ambitious students aged 9–15.
They won't just use AI. They'll command it — like engineers.
AI Youth Lab.
For young builders ready for what comes next.
- Ages
- 9–15
- Format
- 8-week cohort
- Schedule
- Daily live classes
- Class size
- Small group
- Mentors
- Silicon Valley practitioners
- Weeks 9–12
- Silicon Valley immersion
What We Actually Teach
The AI engineering mindset — the skill that outlasts every tool
Tools change monthly; this year's tricks are obsolete by next year. We don't teach button-clicking. We teach the way of thinking that never expires: how engineers command AI.
“The hottest new programming language is English.”
This is why we teach in English: it's no longer just a school subject — it's the language you command AI with.
01
Decompose
Break a big idea into steps an AI can execute — the first instinct of every engineer facing a hard problem.
02
Specify
The prompt is the new code. Turn a vague thought into instructions an AI cannot misunderstand — in English.
03
Iterate
The first version is never good enough. Rewrite the prompt, compare outputs, improve — discipline beats talent.
04
Verify
AI gets things wrong with total confidence. Check facts, question outputs, argue from evidence.
05
Judge
Know what good work looks like — and push the AI until it meets your standard. In the AI era, taste is leverage.
These five habits work for homework, for research, for building a company — and no model update can ever devalue them.
Free, Right Now
Don't take our word for it — see the mindset in action, for free
Hand-picked lessons from Google, Code.org, and other trusted educators. No signup required.
Discover the Art of Prompting
Google Career Certificates · Google AI Essentials
Why we picked this: A genuinely good primer on why the prompt is the new code — the core idea behind our whole curriculum.
Watch on YouTube ↗Crash Course Artificial Intelligence — Series Preview
CrashCourse (PBS Digital Studios / Complexly)
Why we picked this: A fun, well-produced full series (20 episodes) for teens who want to go deeper on their own time.
Watch on YouTube ↗Why AI Youth Lab
Not another AI tool class. A real project lab.
Most AI classes for kids teach tools. We run a structured lab where students turn curiosity into finished, presentable work — with real practitioners in the room.
Led by Real Practitioners
Curriculum designed and reviewed by engineers, researchers, and product experts with experience at leading AI and technology companies — people building the tools your child will grow up with.
Built Around Projects
Every student ships a real project — not a certificate of attendance. Eight weeks of structured building culminate in a Demo Day presentation reviewed by guest mentors.
English-First Learning
Instruction is in English, preparing students to think, present, and collaborate in the global language of technology — a durable advantage for international school and study-abroad paths.
Safe AI Use for Kids
Teacher-guided AI use with clear guardrails: critical thinking over copy-paste, fact-checking over blind trust, parent visibility over black boxes. No homework-writing, ever.
Program Tracks
Two tracks. One standard: real work.
Placement is by age, English comfort, and interest — confirmed during admissions.
Ages 9–11
Junior Creator Track
For curious beginners who love stories, images, and ideas. Students turn imagination into real, presentable work — no coding background required. The engineering habits — decompose, specify, iterate — take root here, wrapped in creativity.
What students build
- AI storybook
- AI-illustrated presentation
- Creative mini website
- Demo Day presentation
Ages 12–15
AI Builder Track
For students drawn to technology, products, and research. Students go deeper — prompt engineering, AI-assisted coding, and prototyping — and finish with portfolio-grade work.
What students build
- AI app prototype
- Research presentation
- AI-assisted coding project
- Personal project page
The 8-Week Journey
From first prompt to Demo Day
A deliberate arc: foundations first, then creation, then a real build, then a real audience.
- 1
Week 1: AI Foundations & Safety
Output: My AI Learning Map
- 2
Week 2: Prompt Thinking
Output: Personal AI Assistant Prompt Pack
- 3
Week 3: AI Storytelling & Research
Output: AI-supported story or mini research report
- 4
Week 4: AI Image, Design & Multimodal Creation
Output: Visual identity for the final project
- 5
Week 5: AI Presentation & Communication
Output: Project pitch deck draft
- 6
Week 6: AI Coding / No-Code Prototyping
Output: Working mini prototype
- 7
Week 7: Final Project Build
Output: Final project, ready to present
- 8
Week 8: Demo Day with Guest Mentors
Output: Demo Day presentation · Certificate · Personal project page
Weeks 9–12 · Optional
Then come to Silicon Valley — and learn where it's being built
After Demo Day, graduates can join an optional four-week on-site immersion in the San Francisco Bay Area. Tuition is $0 for AI Youth Lab graduates — families cover travel and accommodation only.
- On-site project studio in the Bay Area — daily sessions continue in person
- Guided visits to iconic tech campuses and landmarks (visitor-accessible areas)
- University tours: Stanford and UC Berkeley
- In-person workshops and fireside chats with our mentors
- A final live showcase, presented in the Valley
- Small chaperoned groups — parents are welcome to travel along
Families arrange and cover flights, visas, lodging, and insurance. We issue invitation letters immediately upon enrollment to support visa applications, and our visa coordinator guides you through the process. Seats are limited per cohort and confirmed during admissions.
$0 tuition
for cohort graduates
What Students Build
Finished work, not worksheets
Every cohort ends with real, presentable projects. Examples below show the kind of work students produce.
AI StorybookAge 10 · Junior Creator
Ocean Guardians — An AI-Illustrated Storybook
A 24-page illustrated storybook about marine conservation, written and art-directed by the student with AI as a creative collaborator — every fact checked against real sources.
“What impressed me was the revision process — she rejected the AI's first drafts and pushed for better ones. That's real creative direction.”
AI App PrototypeAge 13 · AI Builder
StudyBuddy — A Homework Planner Prototype
A working app prototype that helps students plan revision schedules. Built with AI-assisted coding, tested with real classmates, presented with a live demo.
“He scoped it like an engineer: cut features, shipped the core, demoed it live. Exactly the instinct we try to teach.”
AI Research ReportAge 14 · AI Builder
How Do Recommendation Algorithms Shape What We Watch?
A mini research project analyzing how recommendation systems influence viewing habits, with an original survey of 40 students and an English research presentation.
“A genuinely good research question, honest about its limitations. Better methodology than some undergrad work I've reviewed.”
AI WebsiteAge 11 · Junior Creator
Lunar Base One — An Interactive Science Website
An interactive website teaching younger kids about living on the Moon, with AI-generated illustrations, quizzes, and a narrated tour — all in English.
“Clear structure, great visual consistency, and he explained every AI tool choice he made. Confident work.”
Mentors
Learn from people building the future of AI
Daily classes are taught by our instructors; guest mentors join scheduled sessions, review student projects, and sit on the Demo Day panel.
Meet the Mentors
Daniel Reyes
Senior Machine Learning Engineer
OpenAI
Curriculum Advisor · Demo Day Reviewer
Sarah Mitchell
Staff Software Engineer
Google DeepMind
Guest Speaker · Project Mentor
Marcus Johnson
AI Product Lead
Meta
Guest Speaker · Demo Day Panel
Emily Carter
Research Scientist
Anthropic
Guest Speaker · Curriculum Advisor
Mentors and guest speakers participate in their personal capacity. Company names and work backgrounds are shown for identification only and do not imply endorsement, sponsorship, or affiliation by their employers.
What Families Say
Parents who moved early
My son has taken coding classes since he was seven. This was the first time he built something he couldn't stop talking about at dinner. The mentor Q&A alone was worth the tuition.
We chose it for the English immersion and kept it for the standards. No cartoons, no games disguised as learning — a real syllabus, real deadlines, and a real audience at the end.
Her Demo Day presentation — in English, to engineers from companies I read about in the news — is now the first thing on her international school application portfolio.
I sat in on the Week 1 safety class out of curiosity. They spent forty minutes teaching kids how to catch AI making things up. That's when I knew we'd chosen the right program.
As someone who works in tech myself, I was skeptical of 'AI for kids' courses. The curriculum here is the real thing — my daughter now explains prompt engineering to me at dinner.
The time zones actually work — evening classes in Korea, real Silicon Valley engineers on the call. My son's English improved as a side effect of caring about what he was building.
Admissions
An application, not a checkout page
We place every student deliberately. The result: cohorts where every child can genuinely keep up — and be stretched.
Step 1
Parent Application
Submit the application form with your child's background, interests, and goals. It takes about five minutes.
Step 2
Student Level Check
Our admissions team reviews English comfort, prior exposure to technology, and motivation — via questionnaire and, when helpful, a short conversation.
Step 3
Track Placement
We recommend Junior Creator or AI Builder, and the class format that fits — small group, premium cohort, or 1:1 mentorship.
Step 4
Tuition & Onboarding
Confirm your seat, complete payment, and receive the onboarding pack: schedule, tools setup, and a parent orientation guide.
Step 5
8-Week Cohort
Weekly live sessions, project assignments, instructor feedback, and parent progress updates throughout.
Step 6
Demo Day
Students present their finished projects in English to guest mentors, receive feedback, and earn their certificate and personal project page.
What Your Child Walks Away With
Real artifacts, not just memories
Every graduate finishes with three things a report card can't capture.
Certificate of Completion
This certifies that
Student Name
has completed the 8-week AI Youth Lab project academy and presented an original project at Demo Day
Oct 1, 2026 Cohort · AI Builder Track
Program DirectorMentor Panel
Certificate of Completion Illustrative sample
Signed by the program director and reviewed mentors — built for school portfolios.
theaiyouthlab.com/students/kevin
EcoSort — Smart Recycling Assistant
Built by Kevin, 15 · AI Builder Track
AI-assisted codingImage classificationLive demo
Personal Project Page Illustrative sample
A shareable page for the finished project — the seed of a future portfolio.
Week 4 Progress Report
AI Youth Lab → Parent
- ✓
Prompt engineering: strong iteration habits
- ✓
English participation: speaking up daily
- ✓
Project milestone: visual identity complete
Parent Progress Reports Illustrative sample
Plain-language updates at weeks 2, 4, 6 and after Demo Day — what they built, where they grew.
For Parents
Designed for ambitious families. Built with safety in mind.
High expectations and healthy guardrails are not in tension — they're the whole design.
Read Our Child Safety & AI Use Policy
- Parents receive progress updates throughout the cohort
- We never encourage AI-written homework
- Critical thinking and fact-checking are taught explicitly
- All AI tool use is teacher-guided
- Student work is published only with parent permission
- Original work and proper citation are required
- No emotional-companion AI services, ever
- No addictive product mechanics — this is a course, not an app habit
- We collect only the information needed to run the program
New cohorts start on the 1st & 15th of every month — applications open
Applications are open for the next 8-week cohort.
Seats are limited by design — small groups are how real mentorship works. Apply now and our admissions team will guide you through placement.