Discover AI: Where It All Begins

What this module covers

Discover AI is where every student starts. Instead of opening with definitions, it tells the story of the field: early robots and the first computers, how the term "artificial intelligence" was coined, the early dreams that outran the hardware, and the "AI winters" when funding and interest dried up.

The second half explains why AI woke up again: more data, faster chips and the deep learning revolution, ending with where AI is today. By the end a student can explain AI as a set of techniques with a history of hype and setbacks, not as magic or as a science-fiction robot.

Start with stories! Learn what AI is, see it everywhere, and understand how computers think. No coding needed.

Practise it with these tools

• Real or AI?Tell AI-generated writing from human writing — fresh rounds every time you play.
• AI SketchpadDraw on the canvas and watch an image-recognition model guess what it is — with live confidence scores.

Go deeper

• What is AI? A simple guide for kids and parents
• Types of artificial intelligence