Students at a Kids Build AI workshop sorting cards to train a model
Youth-led · North Texas · Always free

Don't just use AI. Build it.

Free workshops and a six-week build-your-own-model cohort for middle and high school students, taught by students who've done it themselves.

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No coding experience needed. Ages 10+. Every program is free of cost.
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published book on building AI
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cost to families. Every program is free
Our purpose

Understanding AI shouldn't have to wait for high school.

Kids Build AI empowers middle school students with a foundational understanding of artificial intelligence, because understanding AI is essential for the next generation, regardless of career path.

We teach AI concepts in a way that's simple and relatable. Students who build that conceptual foundation early are better prepared, and more confident, when they start coding these technologies later on.

Collage of Kids Build AI workshops at local libraries
Workshops in Frisco · McKinney · Celina · Prosper
How it works

Fold by fold, a flat sheet becomes a crane. That's how we teach AI.

Every student starts with a blank sheet, no code and no jargon, and folds their way to a working model they can explain to anyone.

Step one

Understand

What a model actually is, how it learns from examples, and why it gets things wrong. Card-sorting games, not lectures.

Step two

Build

Train a real model, first with no-code tools like Teachable Machine, then in Python with an AI assistant as your build partner.

Step three

Show

Present your project to judges and parents, then publish it on this site as a portfolio piece with your name on it.

Kids Build AI book cover: a book explaining the how, why, and what of artificial intelligence
The book

The roadmap we wished existed when we were twelve.

By Aditi Nethi & Hansika Ganga

Kids Build AI explains the how, why, and what of artificial intelligence, from machine learning to agentic AI, and walks readers through building their own models. Written for students, by students, without the textbook fog.

It's the curriculum behind every workshop and cohort we run.

Get it on Amazon
Free · interactive · in person

AI literacy workshops at your local library.

A hands-on, interactive session where students learn what AI is by doing it. We've hosted 150+ students across Frisco, McKinney, Celina, and Prosper, and we're booking more.

Ages 10+. No laptop? We'll pair you up. No experience needed, ever.

Get notified about the next one Host one at your library
Students building a Teachable Machine model at a library workshop
★ 5.0 from students & parents
What we cover

Three modules, one afternoon.

01

Introduction to Artificial Intelligence & Data

  • What AI is: computers that think, learn from data, and make decisions to solve problems, instead of just following rigid step-by-step instructions.
  • Data types: structured data (tables, datasets) versus unstructured data (text, images, audio).
  • AI in the real world: applications across healthcare, technology, creative arts, and transportation, plus the difference between Narrow AI, General AI (AGI), and Super AI.
02

Algorithms & Building an AI Model

  • Algorithms as recipes: how a step-by-step recipe (like baking a cake) combines with data to produce a trained model formula, such as y' = b + w₁x₁ + w₂x₂ + …
  • The 4-step lifecycle: data collection (gathering labeled cat and dog images), training (extracting patterns), testing (evaluating on unseen data), and iterative improvement (more diverse data, fixed labels, or a different algorithm).
03

Types of Machine Learning

  • Supervised learning: training on labeled data. Regression fits a line to predict numbers (height from age); classification uses the sigmoid function to predict yes/no outcomes (spam detection).
  • Unsupervised learning: grouping unlabeled data through clustering, similarity scores from 0 to 1, and spotting outliers.
  • Reinforcement learning: an agent learns by trial and error from rewards (+1) and penalties (−1), like navigating a maze.
  • Key concepts: the 70/30 train-test split, generalization, overfitting (memorizing the training data), and underfitting.

Then every student builds their own model.

At the end of the workshop we help each student train a working AI model of their own. No coding required.

New · online · free

Build Your First Model: a six-week cohort.

Pick a question you care about. Train a real machine learning model to answer it. Present it to judges, and publish it here with your name on it.

One live build session a week on Zoom, short videos in between, and a showcase night at the end. Ten students per cohort so everyone gets help when they're stuck.

Apply for the next cohort
Who
Grades 6–9No coding experience needed
Cost
FreeAlways. No hidden fees.
Where
OnlineOne live hour a week on Zoom
Length
6 weeksSaturdays, plus a showcase night
Tools
No-code → PythonTeachable Machine, Google Colab, AI assistants
You leave with
Your own modelPublished on this site with a 90-second video
Week 0
Kickoff
Pick your question
Week 1
Data
Look before you trust
Week 2
Train
Your first real model
Week 3
Judge
Is it actually good?
Week 4
Improve
Make it better, know why
Week 5
Tell it
Your 90-second story
Week 6
Showcase
Judges, parents, awards
Student projects

Real models, built by real middle schoolers.

Every cohort graduate publishes a project card here. The first cohort's work lands on this page after showcase night.

Example project card

Predicting forest fires in Brazil

Your name · 7th grade · Cohort 1
Question
Can the month and state predict how many fires Brazil will see?
Data
Brazil forest fires 1998–2017, 6,400 rows
Model
Decision tree → random forest
0.61R² score vs 0.12 baseline
This spot is yours.

Reserved for a Cohort 1 project.

And this one.

Apply above to claim it.

What students and parents say

Five stars, every session so far.

★★★★★
"I loved how interactive the workshop was and the part we got to learn how to build AI models."
Student, 12
★★★★★
"Loved this workshop. It was the right level for my kids to understand and the activities were very appropriate and kept the kids engaged. Would love to be back for more!"
Parent
★★★★★
"The instructors explained everything very clearly and it was really useful. Looking forward to come again."
Student, 14
★★★★★
"I really like the activities and enjoyed building the AI."
Student, 10
★★★★★
"I learned a lot and want to try and build more AI projects."
Student, 10
Aditi Nethi, founder of Kids Build AI

Aditi Nethi

Founder
Meet the founder

Built by a student who started exactly where you are.

Aditi started exploring AI at twelve and found every resource was either too academic or too focused on tools. So she wrote the book she wished existed, and then started teaching it to students across North Texas.

  • 2× Sachs Summer Scholar
  • Built a machine learning model that predicts in-hospital mortality for patients diagnosed with pulmonary embolism admitted at Parkland Hospital
  • Harvard Ventures summer intern
  • Worked with Reach Faster
  • Author of Kids Build AI
Get involved

There's a place for you in this.

Whether you're a parent, an educator, a librarian, or a student who wants to teach, we'd love to hear from you.

Parents

Sign your student up for the next workshop or cohort. Everything is free, and we'll tell you exactly what they'll be doing.

Get notified

Libraries & schools

Host a 90-minute workshop. We bring the curriculum, the activities, and the instructors. You bring the room and the kids.

Host a workshop

Volunteers & mentors

High schoolers and professionals: help run a session, mentor a cohort student, or judge showcase night.

Join us

Ready to build something?

The next workshop is filling up, and cohort applications are open. Both are free.

Join a workshop Apply for the cohort