From Paris to London, My experience at the #TeensInAI19 Accelerator — Idris

I was extremely lucky to take part in the Teens in AI Accelerator event, which took place from August 19th to 30th, 2019. I have always been interested in new technologies and particularly in artificial intelligence. This event seemed incredibly promising!

During the 10 days, I learned a huge amount about AI: machine learning, deep learning, ethics related to AI, and even high-level maths! It also allowed me to reinforce many skills such as my ability to work effectively in a group, how to look for information and to evaluate its accuracy, and most importantly how to come up with a plan and follow it to transform an idea into a realistic project.

I would like to especially thank Elena Sinel and all members of her team who made this event such a success. Now looking back, I can see how much work and dedication it required.

I would also like to thank Ahana and Aasmaan, my two teammates. I enjoyed working with you, and the team spirit and trust we established have been essential in developing our project and have led us to excel.

I would also like to send huge thanks to our mentors Dee, Zubair, Liz, Freddie and the many others who helped us shaping our project by sharing their expertise.

All the speakers were amazing and a genuine sources of inspiration. I will particularly remember George Alagiah, Antony and Nicholas Oliver’s talks, who both inspired me and truly became role models. This sentence from Georges Alagiah will stay with me: “The power of opportunity”. From Nicholas Oliver, I learnt great oratory skills and unique ways of efficiently conveying ideas. Anthony gave me key advice during the preparation of our “Pitch Deck”.

The atmosphere we created throughout these 10 days was intellectually stimulating and very refreshing. This was also made possible by the warm welcome we received from our hosts at Accenture, Wayra, BBC and Microsoft.

Finally, I would like to share a special thought for Peter who has helped us every day so that our project moves forward and with whom the programming courses have been very rewarding.

With all the experience, skills, network and inspiration gathered during these 10 days, I feel well equipped to carry developing the project about AI in education, as well as new ideas and projects for the upcoming years.

I am sure this event will continue to grow and inspire many more teenagers in the coming years to learn about and ultimately shape a better AI.