Inspire 2026: Data Science: AI Literacy Bootcamp (July 27- July 31)

This intensive one-week AI literacy bootcamp empowers high school students to understand and critically engage with artificial intelligence. Through hands-on exploration using beginner-friendly no-code platforms, students will learn how AI systems actually work, from the fundamentals of machine learning and deep learning to cutting-edge technologies like computer vision, natural language processing, and generative AI. Students will build and test their own AI models, master prompt engineering skills, analyze how AI processes images and text in real-world applications, and develop critical skills to identify biased algorithms and detect AI-generated content.

Throughout the week, students will wrestle with essential ethical questions about privacy, fairness, and AI’s societal impact, while discovering career opportunities across diverse industries.  Each day combines interactive lectures, hands-on labs, and collaborative activities to make AI accessible and engaging. For example, in the image classification activity, students use Google’s Teachable Machine to train their own computer vision model to recognize everyday objects like pens, paper, and water bottles. They collect training images using their webcam, train a neural network in minutes, test its accuracy with different objects and lighting conditions, and then reflect on what makes classification easy or difficult for AI. Through activities like this, students not only learn how AI works under the hood, but also discover its limitations.

Students will explore real-world applications across industries from healthcare to entertainment and consider career pathways in this rapidly evolving field. By the end of the week, students leave with practical AI skills, critical thinking tools to evaluate AI systems, and the confidence to navigate an AI-powered future. 

This is an in-person course that meets daily Monday-Friday in Fairfax, 9AM – 4PM ET. Tuition covers materials, meals (lunch/snacks), and transportation to any off-site excursions.

Refund Policy: Registrants are eligible for a refund until 60 days from the program start. Please note that a $150 administrative fee will be retained to cover the costs associated with application review and the admissions process. No refunds will be available after 60 days from the program start. To cancel your registration and request a refund, please contact inspire.northern@virginia.edu.