Day of AI: Empowering youth with AI Knowledge in the Arab World

Day of AI offers culturally relevant, interactive educational modules on AI technology, ethics, and combating disinformation, building a generation ready to responsibly navigate and innovate with AI.

 

Organization’s Background and Achievements

This project is one of the 2024-2025 WISE Prize for Education semi-finalists. 

Day of AI, an initiative from MIT, was born out to empower youth with AI knowledge. Its Arabic version is a personal mission by Sharifa Alghowinem to make cutting-edge AI knowledge accessible to Arabic-speaking youth. Growing up in an Arabic-speaking country with minimal English skills, Alghowinem felt restrained from accessing advanced knowledge. This experience fueled her commitment to empower Arabic youth with AI literacy, ensuring they become not just users, but innovators and policymakers in the AI world.

Since its inception, Day of AI has achieved remarkable success:

• The English version of the program had participants from over 110 countries in 2023, up from 93 countries in 2022.
• In 2023, 7,512 teachers participated in the English Day of AI, a significant increase from 3,158 in 2022.
• The program reached over 500,000 students worldwide in both 2022 and 2023, with projections suggesting the reach nearly doubled by the second year.
• More than 350 teachers participated in three-hour professional development sessions across various grade bands in 2022.
• The “ChatGPT in Schools” curriculum module received 3,731 clicks in Spanish-speaking regions, demonstrating high engagement with specific educational materials.

 

The program’s success in its English version has paved the way for its expansion into the Arabic-speaking world, where it aims to have an equally transformative impact.

 

New Solution: Culturally Adapted AI Education for Arabic Youth

Arabic Day of AI’s core innovation is its culturally adapted AI education program for Arabic-speaking youth. Key features include:

• Meticulously tailored curriculum reflecting the cultural and societal contexts of diverse Arabic-speaking regions
• Interdisciplinary approach integrating AI across various subjects like art, science, math, and social studies
• Low-barrier, high-impact educational model accessible to educators with minimal prior experience in computers or programming
• Strong focus on responsible AI usage, ethical considerations, and digital citizenship

 

What sets Arabic Day of AI apart is its commitment to cultural relevance and ethical AI education. The program goes beyond mere translation, incorporating local examples, values, and case studies to ensure the curriculum resonates with Arabic-speaking students.

 

Potential Impact and Prospects

Arabic Day of AI has set ambitious goals for its future impact:

• Increase the number of participating educators in the MENA region, offering continuous professional development opportunities
• Form partnerships with at least 20 educational institutions, government bodies, and non-profit organizations across MENA regions
• Establish a global community of Arabic AI educators through annual forums, conferences, and collaborative projects
• Continuously update and expand the curriculum with emerging AI topics

 

Ultimately, Day of AI envisions a world where AI literacy is as fundamental as reading and math, with every student having the opportunity to understand and shape the future of AI.

 

Addressing WISE Prize for Education Challenges

Day of AI addresses the following WISE Prize challenges:

• Artificial Intelligence in Education ☑️
• Teaching of Arabic Language ☑️
• Foundational Literacies ☑️

 

The solution directly addresses these challenges by providing AI education in Arabic, focusing on foundational AI literacy, and using AI as both a subject and a tool for learning.