ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A new program at Lakewood High School is preparing students for jobs being created now thanks to artificial intelligence.
The program is a three-year course called "AI Foundations." It's a part of the school's Center for Advanced Technology (CAT) program, providing a new career pathway to prepare students for future jobs in AI.
More than 80 students are enrolled now, including Macie Sullivan.
"Artificial intelligence is just such a cool thing because it's really what we're going to be moving to," Sullivan, a high school senior, said.
Before Sullivan and her classmates got to dive into AI and how to apply it in day-to-day functions, they had to learn about how to use it responsibly.
"We're talking about the ethics of AI and how it actually works, because to figure out the ethics, you kind of need to know the root of it," Sullivan explained.
This AI program was designed by the University of Florida. In these classes, students can earn certification for Microsoft Azure AI.
Right now, students are learning how to use AI to program pet robots. Their teacher, Matt Cortez, is instructing his students on topics that weren't a part of any curriculum while he was in college.
"I want them to learn what the benefits are, why people use it, why it was developed, why students would want to use it to cheat, and more importantly, why they're failing and cheating at it, why their teachers are sending me emails saying I can tell this was AI-generated content, and then understanding how we can use it in a more beneficial way, how we can research with it, how we can condense content and make better use of it," Cortez said.
Lakewood High School's AI program will also grow as the technology evolves. Pinellas is one of 12 school districts statewide to offer students the AI curriculum.
Lakewood High School offers two AI classes— both of which are full. The school district said they’re working to expand the program at Lakewood and into other schools so that any student who wants to sign up can learn.
"This is our beta test and get it off the ground," Michael McCullough, the district program specialist said. "We're definitely going to continue to grow the AI programs."
Malique Rankin is a general assignment reporter with 10 Tampa Bay. You can email her story ideas at mrankin@10tampabay.com and follow her Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.