Lesson 9: Fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence
Learning Objectives
- Understand the basic concepts of artificial intelligence: Help students gain a preliminary understanding of what artificial intelligence is and some of its common applications in daily life.
- Understand how artificial intelligence “learns”: Briefly introduce the concept of machine learning, so students know that computers learn from data to make predictions.
- Stimulate interest and curiosity in artificial intelligence: Through fun activities and examples, let students experience the wonders of artificial intelligence and cultivate their spirit of exploration.
Course Outline
1. Introduction (10 minutes)
- Introducing the Topic: Ask students: “Do you think robots and computers have ‘brains’? How do they know what to do?” This will guide students to think about how artificial intelligence “thinks” and “learns.”
- Preliminary Introduction: The teacher introduces the concept of artificial intelligence in simple terms, explaining that AI is a technology that allows computers to imitate human thinking and problem-solving.
2. Main Content (25 minutes)
- What is Artificial Intelligence? (10 minutes)
- Definition of Artificial Intelligence: Introduce the basic concept of AI, explaining that it is the ability of a computer to imitate human learning, decision-making, and problem-solving.
- Common Applications: Use examples from daily life to illustrate the applications of AI, such as voice assistants (like Siri), autonomous driving, and recommendation systems, to help students see that AI is all around them.
- How Does Artificial Intelligence Learn? (10 minutes)
- The Concept of Machine Learning: Briefly introduce machine learning, explaining that it is the process by which computers learn from large amounts of data to make predictions or classifications.
- Example Demonstration: Show a simple machine learning example, such as “image classification,” to illustrate how a computer learns to distinguish between cats and dogs by observing a large number of pictures of them.
- Mini-Game: Guess the Picture: Show a few pictures and ask students how they would identify the content of the pictures, guiding them to understand the concepts of data and pattern recognition.
- Collaboration Between Humans and Artificial Intelligence (5 minutes)
- Pros and Cons of AI: Briefly introduce the advantages and limitations of artificial intelligence, for example, that AI is good at processing large amounts of data but lacks human emotional judgment.
- The Meaning of Collaboration: Discuss how artificial intelligence can collaborate with humans to enhance human capabilities rather than replace them, such as doctors using AI to assist in diagnosing illnesses.
3. Interactive Session: Design Your Own AI (10 minutes)
- Project Introduction: Have students imagine and design an AI that they find interesting and that could help people with specific tasks, such as an “AI for learning assistance” or an “AI that reminds you to drink water.”
- Group Discussion: Students share their creative ideas in groups, discussing how their AI could “learn” and “help people,” stimulating their creativity and teamwork.
4. Conclusion and Q&A (5 minutes)
- Review of Key Points: Summarize the concepts, applications, and basic learning methods of artificial intelligence.
- Q&A Session: Answer students’ questions and encourage them to observe more AI-related things in their daily lives after class and share them in the next lesson.
Teaching Resources
- Pictures and Videos: Show practical applications of AI, such as autonomous driving, voice recognition, and image recognition, to help students understand visually.
- Interactive Tools: Such as using simple AI demonstration software or websites to let students observe how AI performs image classification or data processing.
After-Class Activity
- Hands-on Task: Have students try to find an interesting AI application online (such as a voice assistant, recommendation system, etc.), use it, and record their experience.
- Thinking Task: Have students think about how AI can help people solve daily problems and share their ideas in the next class.