MONTH of AI

In a lead up to National AI Literacy Day on March 27th, Piedmont will focus on two vital questions: “What is AI?” and “How do we prepare our students to thrive in an AI-enabled world?”

The focus of this Month of AI is for all of us to gain an understanding of the evolving technology, so we can better navigate the changing landscape: to understand how it influences commerce, communication, medicine, business, the workforce, and education. Along the way we will look for value-adds for your lives, and explore the SEE framework for SAFE, ETHICAL and EFFECTIVE use.

Ready to show off your AI expertise (and maybe score some free boba)? Today marks the official kickoff for two major contests!

Whether you’re a digital artist or a future tech leader, participating puts you in a raffle for Mulberry’s and Mr. Green Bubble gift cards. Plus, winners will walk away with exclusive prizes and district-wide recognition.

1. The "Where’s the AI?" Poster Contest

Open to: All PHS and MHS students. The Challenge: Design an 11x17 poster that uncovers the "hidden" AI in a technology we use every day.

What to include: Identify the tech, its purpose, and—most importantly—the potential benefits and challenges it brings to our lives.
When to work: Use your Academy time this week or the extended Academies next week. Or on your own!
Supplies: We’ve got you covered! Pick up 11x17 paper and markers in the Library.
Ready to start? Check the full Poster Contest Instructions.

2. AI Literacy Course for Upper High School and College Students (Ages 16+)

Open to: Juniors and Seniors (16 and above). The Challenge: Level up your resume and your tech knowledge by completing the AI for Education: AI Literacy Course.

The Reward: Everyone who submits their certificate of completion will be entered into the gift card raffle!
The Why: AI Literacy is the top foundational skill of today and the future. This is a deeper dive into to use AI safe, effectively and ethically.
Ready to Start? Sign up for the free course at AI for Education
Ready to Submit? Submit completion and two examples here

Pro-Tip: Don’t just be a passive consumer of technology—be a thoughtful creator. We can’t wait to see your "Human-in-the-Loop" insights!

AI is being used to create more effective phishing attacks. We can't depend on spotting grammar mistakes to identify phishing any more! Watch for an unusual request, urgent requests, and requests from those in positions of authority. When in doubt, call the sender!

Stock images strongly influence the ways in which audiences think about, and understand, the topics they illustrate. This is why it is worrying that research has repeatedly shown that many images of artificial intelligence are misleading and unhelpful.

Think of an image of AI you have come across recently. Did it feature any of the following?

A robot that looks like a human?
A glowing brain?
The Terminator?
Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam with a robot hand?
An overabundance of the colour blue?

Research shows that non-experts tend to misunderstand what AI is, equating it with robotics or referring to science fiction portrayals of androids, rather than as a range of physical and digital technological approaches that process, synthesise, and make inferences from large amounts of information. People who do not understand what AI is, are unable to advocate for the ways the technology should or should not impact society.

Read more about how to conceive of Ai in visual form from this study.

😜🍎 PS I have used many of these images in my own slides, so this was eye-opening (pun intended) for me to think about how a visually represent AI.

Avoid science fiction references

Twentieth century science fiction has shaped people’s expectations of what AI is, or will soon be, more than any single existing technology. Stock imagery both makes use of general science fiction tropes such as flying cars, spaceships, and of course robots, and at times borrows heavily from specific science fiction films and games such as The Terminator, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Minority Report.

Descending code

These images are usually explicit references to the Matrix films (1999-2021). On the one hand, they refer to a dystopian science fiction scenario in which humans are enslaved by AI. On the other hand, to those for whom the link to these films is not clear, the images can be alienating by presenting AI as a wall of incomprehensible symbols.

White robots

Depicting AI as robots that are white in colour, ethnicity, or both, associates intelligence with being white. Such images serve as a barrier to increasing racial and ethnic diversity in AI development and decision-making, and exclude the global majority

White men in suits

This trope reinforces stereotypes about the kind of person who is in control of AI. Aside from its obvious gender and race connotations, it excludes all those involved in AI who do not feel represented by suits, including developers, data labellers, and rare earth miners. These images focus on power, not the impact or applications of AI.

Human brain

Although a very small part of AI research attempts to reconstruct the human brain in electronic form, generally AI and human brains have very little in common. Equating the two misleads people into thinking that machines can, or will soon be able to, do anything a human brain can do. In fact, AI technologies are highly specialised.

Variations on The Creation of Adam

Based on Michelangelo’s religious fresco The Creation of Adam on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, use of this composition of touching hands makes AI seem mystical and unknowable. It reinforces narratives of AI as a god-like technology, denying human agency and control, and meanwhile elevating the AI developer to divine status.

Piedmont has partnered with InspiritAI to host an in-person project-based artificial intelligence program in June in Piedmont.

June 8-18 (9 weekday sessions ) for 3.5 hours each day
Provide in-depth learning on machine learning, programming in python, ethics and bias within AI.
Participants will complete a group project applying AI to a discipline like healthcare, astronomy, finance, among others.
No prior computer science experience is required to participate

Any student who is interested in biology, business, social justice etc has an opportunity to go deeper into how AI can impact their passion. This program's 31+ hours is roughly equivalent to a 9 weeks of a class at PHS! Separate middle and high school sections will be offered.

If you are interested in participating in this unique opportunity, please fill out this short interest form. The program is offered at a fee of $1600 and is taught by AI practitioners and graduate students from Stanford and MIT. Feel free to peruse the program brochure for more information about curriculum, schedule, projects, teaching team, and more! Scholarships available.

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National AI Literacy Day is March 27, 2026! National AI Literacy Day is March 27, 2026!

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