Mastercard
Inspiring a new era of AI leadership
In a transformative two-year partnership with Mastercard, Teens in AI set out to inspire the next generation of digital researchers, entrepreneurs, and leaders through a unique hackathon programme. This collaborative venture gave teenagers an opportunity to team up across multiple timezones, learning to leverage AI for the greater good.
Participants joined a number of programmes where they were tasked with using Data Science and AI to solve social issues identified as part of the UN SDGs in the development of their own products.
Working together for change
How we made it happen
A hands-on, two-week learning intensive programme offered teens a chance to build their own tech start-up with the help of industry mentors, learn about AI in workshops and hear from inspiring entrepreneurs. Teens learned to consider ethical decision making, social interaction, gender bias and racial bias when developing their projects. The programme culminated in a Demo Day where teams presented their projects to a panel of judges.
Decoding success
Through this groundbreaking collaboration between Teens in AI and Mastercard, we were able to ignite innovation and cultivate a generation of ethically-minded AI pioneers, empowering them to harness the power of technology for positive social change and effectively address the UN SDGs.
- female participants – 60%
- gained more ai knowledge – 68%
- want to study ai- 85%
Teens
Mentors
Projects
In the news
Our project made waves in the media. From local news to international coverage, our innovative work in AI captured the attention of journalists worldwide.
“This has been a life changing event! I enjoyed learning about different types of jobs out there, such as a developer or UX designer. I also enjoyed learning about different market research methods and most importantly, my team and I were solving a problem with refugees & met with mentors from the UN. I wish school was like a hackathon!”
“These events are a great opportunity to get women and girls excited about tech. Digital skills are key to many creative careers and by learning about computing, young women can open up a range of opportunities.”
“Diversity of ideas is absolutely essential to build a solid solution, so it was fascinating to see the great collaboration from all the different backgrounds, cultures and perspectives.”
