Google's 'AI Quests' treks a literacy path for young students and educators

What you need to know

• Google launched AI Quests, which are a "fun new way" for students to learn about AI in different fields and how to apply it appropriately to achieve results.
• The first quest will take students (ages 11 to 14) on an immersive journey through Flood Forecasting research.
• AI Quests are available today (Sep 9) for educators and organizations, though more are planned "in the coming months."
• Google also highlighted its partner with Stanford Accelerator Learning, which is integrating AI Quests into CRAFT.

Google announced a new education-based feature, designed to leverage its AI to help educators and their students.

In a Keyword post, the company launched "AI Quests," a "fun new way" students can supposedly learn about how AI can be put to use in real-world challenges. Google states that its AI Quests will take students through a fantasy world, one that places them in the position of data researchers and fields such as medicine to solve problems with AI, and learn how that's applied.

AI Quests isn't extensive just yet; however, Google states the first quest will put students, ages 11 to 14, through Flood Forecasting research. These immersive, adventurous quests will show kids how AI can "help predict floods and give communities timely flood warnings."

These AI Quests are almost like a game, as they encourage kids to collect "relevant" data, evaluate that data, and test their theories (test the model). Google states this first quest is designed to teach students two important lessons: the importance of human judgment and how data quality can shape an AI's results. After the simulation is completed, Google says students will receive a video from the real researchers explaining their work.

There's also a set of activities to complete before and after the quest. AI Quests is available today (Sep 9) for educators and organizations in learning.

Google sees AI in the classroom

AI Quests | Bringing AI Literacy to the Classroom - YouTube

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Stanford Accelerator for Learning is integrating AI Quests into CRAFT as part of its partnership with Google Research. Victor R. Lee, faculty lead for AI and education at Stanford Accelerator for Learning, said, "Our partnership with Google Research is a powerful example of how academia and industry can come together."

AI Quests are expecting an update "in the coming months" that will add two more adventures for educators to give students. One quest will walk students through the journey of identifying diabetic retinopathy, a catalyst for blindness. The other is reportedly a quest to "map and understand" the human brain.

While so hard on AI, Google dropped a Gemini-powered update for Classrooms, bringing its selection of AI tools to teacher lesson plans and more. Educators were given access to NotebookLM, capable of creating enhanced study guides for kids. Gems also rolled out, so teachers could create an AI "expert" in a singular topic to further a child's learning for topics they may struggle with.

More than that, in August, college students in the U.S. and other regions were given Google's AI Pro plan for free.