A big box floats into the space station lab. It is full of mission photos!
"There are hundreds of pictures," Rocket groans. "Sorting them will take all week."
Raven picks up a few photos. "What do you notice? Some show rocks. Some show plants."
Nova hovers over the pile, her lights blinking. "Could you teach a helper to sort them?" she asks.
Rocket grins. He loves building helpers.
Nova is the AI companion drone in our stories. She helps the crew with hints.
Nova is a story character. She can do things that real machines cannot do.
In this course, you will learn what real AI is and how it works.
You will not need a computer. You will use paper, pencils and your brain.
AI stands for artificial intelligence.
AI is a computer system. People build it.
AI makes guesses, suggestions or choices.
A guess is also called a prediction. A suggestion is a recommendation. A choice is a decision.
| Kid word | Big word | Example from the photo pile |
|---|---|---|
| guess | prediction | This photo probably shows a rock. |
| suggestion | recommendation | You might like to look at this plant photo next. |
| choice | decision | Label this photo as a tool. |
| Statement | True or false? |
|---|---|
| AI is a computer system that people build. | ? |
| AI can make guesses, suggestions or choices. | ? |
| Nova is a real machine you can visit. | ? |
| In this course, you learn with paper and pencils. | ? |
Each week, the crew works on a sorting model for the mission photos.
A model is a set of rules and examples on paper. It helps sort things.
The photos come from the crew's trips. They show rocks, plants and tools.
Each photo gets one of three labels: rock, plant or tool.
You will help them build it, test it and make it better.
Great start, explorer! Tomorrow you will sort guesses, suggestions and choices.