TCS Breaks New Ground With Generative AI Summer Camp for Students Aged 11–17

Seeking to help prepare members of the future global workforce in the effective and responsible use of generative AI (GenAI), Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) recently held a summer camp to train middle and high school students on the fast-growing technology. The TCS pilot program, held from June 4-6 at a Go Innovate Together (goIT) summer camp in Milford, Ohio, is one of the first examples in the U.S. of a technology industry leader incorporating GenAI into STEM education for middle and high school students.

The initiative intrigued both the students and their parents. Many are accustomed to rules outlawing the use of AI in classrooms or for schoolwork, discouraging young people from engaging with it. TCS’ move aligns with the state of Ohio’s recent release of guidelines for using AI in the classroom. TCS agrees with Ohio officials that leading in the technology, rather than following its advances, can strengthen economic futures, broaden talent pipelines and help establish an innovative edge.

During the camp, TCS introduced and tested its new GenAI Technology Learning Pathway to about 70 students aged 11 to 17 attending the event at its Global Delivery Center in Milford, Ohio. Participants worked through various GenAI learning modules, discussed the importance of Responsible AI, learned the basics of prompt engineering and explored how to use GenAI to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems.

Facilitators asked participants to create concepts that could help solve one of the U.N.’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), challenging them to leverage GenAI as part of the solution. The UN SDGs address human and environmental concerns and mobilize the world to end all forms of poverty, tackle inequalities and address climate change. At the culmination, students pitched their ideas for digital innovations, competing against one another for awards and more.

There were more than 10 innovations presented to judges at the closing event and competition. One described a concept for a mobile app that would use GenAI to personalize meals, grocery lists, recipes, and exercise plans according to user personal health statistics, goals and progress. Another concept used AI to inform a robot cleaning the ocean floor. Yet another envisioned a computer extension aimed at reducing cheating in schools.

“What an incredible three days at TCS’ Cincinnati Global Delivery Center,” said Priya Dayal, Center Operations Lead & CSR/DEI Champion at TCS. “This year, we welcomed 70 amazing middle and high school students from over 25 different school districts in the Tri-State (Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana) area. They immersed themselves in the world of our GenAI pilot, learning the fundamentals, exploring tools, and ultimately building incredible projects.”

The pilot was important on a number of levels. It reinforced the importance of the technology’s current and future uses, helped prepare young people for a future using GenAI in jobs that may not even exist yet, and offered an important message about the role GenAI can have in helping address some of the world’s most pressing problems.

“By integrating GenAI into the curriculum, TCS is equipping students with essential skills for the evolving technological landscape. This initiative not only prepares them for future job roles but also empowers them to achieve their career aspirations,” said Dr. Paul J. Bailo, a digital transformation professor at Columbia University. “By educating young minds on leveraging GenAI for the betterment of society, TCS is showcasing the profound potential of GenAI to revolutionize the way we live and work.”

TCS’ goIT program offers a variety of learning pathways, including mobile app design, microprocessors, Internet of Things, AI/machine learning, and more. The company will take what it learned from this pilot and apply it to future AI-related student programming. Learn more at: https://on.tcs.com/goIT-AMERS.

About TCS’ goIT Digital Innovation and Career Readiness Program 
Go Innovate Together program (goIT) is TCS’ flagship STEM education program. Focusing on digital innovation and career readiness, goIT engages students from diverse backgrounds with Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) subjects and computer science, design thinking and digital innovation. The program offers an industry-developed, customizable curriculum that teaches students the 21st century skills necessary for a career in technology. Lessons cover topics including design thinking, rapid prototyping, artificial intelligence, machine learning and more.

Among the program’s many offerings is the goIT Monthly Challenge. Since its launch in 2020, thousands of students across the globe have used key principles from goIT to design tech-based solutions and submit pitch videos based on a Monthly Challenge theme. Each month, TCS co-hosts the event with a Sustainable Development Goal ambassador, globally minded nonprofit or a TCS client. The Challenge has engaged a growing number of teachers and students every month, exploring topics ranging from gender equality and systemic racism to protecting life under water.

Visit the goIT Monthly Challenge competition website to learn how to get students involved with upcoming challenges: https://on.tcs.com/goIT-ENG. Visit https://on.tcs.com/goIT-AMERS to learn more about goIT.