Billionaire Mark Cuban is a true believer in the value of artificial intelligence. And so the owner of the Dallas Mavericks is putting another $2 million into his Cuban Foundation AI Bootcamps program. The Wall Street Journal reported.
If you have seen sci-fi movies like the Terminator then you probably fear AI. Science fiction makes it seem like artificial intelligence will one day become sentient and destroy humanity.
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But when we talk about artificial intelligence what we really mean are computers which are capable of learning and thinking. This is how YouTube and other websites know what suggestions to make for you based on your previous activity.
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What a great event this was. Introducing AI to 100 plus underserved students. This is our future and it looks good ! https://t.co/N2l6t151B1
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) October 27, 2020
Founded by Mark Cuban in 2019, the AI Bootcamps Initiative has hosted multiple free camps teaching AI to more than 80 students in Dallas, Texas. This year it has camps for more than 100 students in Dallas, El Paso, Chicago, Omaha, Detroit, and Green Bay.
It started with just 40 high school students in Dallas last year. Cuban wants to have as many as 1,000 students in the program by 2023
The AI Bootcamps Initiative
Its camps are introductory and accessible to any student with an interest in technology. Students do not need any familiarity with computer science or programming to attend. The curriculum teaches both concepts and skills. Over the course of five half-days, students learn what AI is and isn’t, where they already interact with AI in their own lives, the ethical implications of AI systems, and much more. Students also learn how to use Microsoft’s cloud computing tools to build their own AI applications.
“We don’t recognize how much talent is there. One of my goals is to really go out and find the superstars. There are so many there that are under-appreciated and don’t have access to resources,” Mark Cuban told the Wall Street Journal.
“I saw the impact of PCs. Then I saw the impact of local area networks. Then I saw the impact of wide-area networks. Then I saw the impact of the Internet. Then I saw the impact of mobile. Then I saw the impact of wireless. Now I’m seeing the impact of artificial intelligence. And it dwarfs any of those things,” says Mark Cuban.
The program has financial backing from major firms like Walmart, McDonald’s, and Microsoft.
