Children's University: On a journey of discovery into the world of artificial intelligence

A lecture hall full of children, some raise their hands, the lecturer with microphone in hand runs to the front for the presentation.

Photo: THI

The lecturer stands at the speaker's desk in the lecture hall, behind him the presentation with two baking cats and the inscription “AI is learning”.

Photo: THI

An astronaut rides a brown horse, with a lunar landscape in the background.

Photo: Midjourney – Astronaut riding on a horse - This image was created with the AI Midjourney

As part of the Children's University, a series of events organized by the Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt (THI) and the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt (KU), Patrick Weiss, Junior Professor of Digital Marketing at the THI Business School, introduced children and young people to the exciting world of artificial intelligence last Friday. In his lecture entitled “How can artificial intelligence ‘paint’ pictures?”, the young participants were given an introduction to the functionality and possibilities of generative AI, i.e. generative artificial intelligence, which can also be used to create images.

The aim of the lecture was to convey a basic understanding of how such AI programs work. Together with Prof. Weiss, the children created their own images and learned how artificial intelligence learns from existing images and uses them to create new ones. Various motifs and image styles were tried out - a particular highlight was the image of an astronaut on a horse. Weiss also explained to the children the ethical aspects to be considered when dealing with generative AI, for example that AI must not be used to misrepresent other people and that there are still challenges in the portrayal of different image motifs, e.g. in the portrayal of children with different backgrounds.

The event was very well received: there were around 150 registrations at THI alone. Further lectures and events as part of the Children's University have also already been scheduled. On November 8, Prof. Dr. Katharina Schauberger, Professor of Global Economics at the THI Business School, will give a lecture on the topic “Who actually makes my sneakers? A look into the world of child labor - background and solutions” at THI. A rerun of this lecture is planned for November 15 at the KU.

The complete program of the children's university with all dates and topics can be viewed at the following link (in German): https://www.thi.de/service/angebote-fuer-schulen-und-schuelerinnen/kinderuni-eichstaett-ingolstadt/.
 

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