At the launch event for Microsoft Elevate Hadi Partovi, CEO of Code.org, outlined three new initiatives to ensure that all students are educated in AI in a way that gives them a headstart in AI Engineering so that instead of being passive consumers of AI they are able to use it creatively.

Microsoft Elevate, initially announced in a blog post over a month ago, is an initiative to ensure that AI  is used to "elevate humanity, not replace it". With this goal in mind, over the coming 5 years, it has allocated $4 billion in cash and technology, to go to the educational sector and non-profits.

The overarching goal of Microsoft Elevate is to make AI accessible and to ensure that people have the skills needed to use these technologies for real-world progress. The company's vision is that AI should augment human potential, not replace it and at its launch event  Brad Smith talked about providing AI education and skills to 20 million people worldwide within two years. 

The non-profit Code.org is an important partner in this endeavour and Hadi Partovi joined Brad Smith on stage to explain how Code.org is changing its focus to center on AI, ensuring that AI is a tool that people understand and can use, rather than a black box that uses people.

Reminding us that in its effort to make Computer Science accessible to all students in school, over the past decade, Code.org has successfully reached more than 100 million students and provided resources to 3 million teachers across 190 countries, Partovi outlined his new strategy to prepare students for an AI-powered future. It is anchored in three key initiatives. First, on a policy level, he called for a concerted effort to integrate AI engineering principles into K-12 curricula nationwide, ensuring that students gain not just a surface-level understanding but a foundational skillset for building with AI. This policy push is complemented by a new AI Foundations curriculum, designed to equip students with core concepts of artificial intelligence in an accessible way. Finally, the strategy culminates in the Hour of AI, a new global campaign that extends the highly successful "Hour of Code" by providing fun, hands-on activities to introduce millions of students to AI in a single hour.

The Hour of AI is not replacing the Hour of Code, but rather building on its success to expand foundational AI literacy. The goal is to help students move from being passive users of AI to being creators who understand how it works and can use it responsibly. While the Hour of Code is anchored in Computer Science Education Week each December and is primarily for school-age students, Hour of AI is available throughout the year with resources for adults as well. Some of its activities are already available:

• Minecraft: Generation AI: A tutorial where students code AI-powered inventions in the Minecraft world. 

• Music Lab: Jam Session: An activity that uses AI to help students remix music tracks. 

• Dance Party: AI Edition: A project where students use AI concepts to create their own virtual dance party. 

• "How AI Works" Video Series: A series of short videos and lessons that break down core AI concepts like machine learning, generative models, and algorithmic bias.

More Information

Microsoft Elevate: Putting people first

Microsoft Elevate

Hour of AI

Artificial Intelligence Foundations

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