At AIClub, we are seeing more and more kids being able to use AI to build distinctive and innovative projects even before college. Further proof of this trend can be found in a quick analysis of the winners of the San Jose Synopsys in 2020 and 2021.
First, the overall trend is seen in the figure below. Even in 2020, a little over 30% of the winning projects used AI! In 2021, the trend is greater, with over 35% of the projects using AI.
But, possibly even more interesting is how even younger kids are using AI use in winning projects! In 2020, the majority of winning projects that used AI were from grades 8 and above. In 2021, we are already seeing a dramatic shift, with 30% of winning projects in grades 6 and 7 already using AI (see figure below).
So, what are these projects? They span a wide range of topics, from disease detection to self-driving cars. At AIClub, we have had 15 student teams score wins at not just science fairs but also other national and international competitions since 2020, with projects as varied as Diabetic Retinopathy, Breast Cancer detection, Recycling, Literature, Stress Mitigation, and more. Read more about our winners and student successes here and about our unique approach to enable kids to realize their innovative potential with AI here. You can also find a further showcase of AI research projects by Middle School and High School students here.