Right now, AI can write a customized lesson plan, make art, and or put together a killer set of hikes in your favorite National Park.  In the next few years, we’ll see a rapid advancement in AI capabilities. But no matter what artificial intelligence can achieve, we need human intelligence to make it work for us – all of us. Using AI to explore real-world challenges – designing a better recycling program, for instance, or mapping food access in a neighborhood – we build the skills and relationships that will help the next generation thrive.

The Opportunity in AI Education for Girls

As AI tools develop rapidly, often shaped by a small and privileged set of voices, existing inequities in technology access, representation, and economic opportunity risk widening even further. Without intentional design, the communities most affected by bias may once again be left out of both creating and critiquing the technologies shaping our future.

Early experiences with new technologies can be powerful turning points for young people. And AI is arriving unevenly in our education systems. When girls, especially girls of color, are invited into meaningful exploration of AI, they gain more than technical knowledge. They gain confidence, agency, and a growing sense that their ideas and perspectives matter in shaping what comes next. Meeting this moment calls for learning experiences that center belonging, critical thinking, and real-world relevance, while helping young people understand how AI works and how it shapes the world around them.