Hyett Education: Bringing AI Concepts to Life

At Hyett Education, we specialise in bridging the gap between theory and practice by delivering exhilarating STEM workshops across the UK, covering students from Reception to Key Stage 5. As partners of the Royal Air Force and Defence Nuclear Enterprise, we also deliver funded workshops that boost engagement and raise awareness of STEM careers. Our AI & Machine Learning Workshop (Years 5-11) embodies this approach, moving beyond abstract theory to focus on building and training a physical robot buggy with AI capabilities, framed within the real-world context of self-driving cars.

During this immersive session, students discover the fundamental shift from traditional programming, where users write explicit instructions, to Machine Learning, where computers learn from data to recognise patterns and make decisions. Students explore principles like Reinforcement Learning, teaching their software to maximise rewards and optimise its movement through trial and improvement. This hands-on experience extends to Pattern Recognition and Neural Networks, mirroring systems like Tesla Autopilot. Students train the robot's AI-Lens camera to identify visual cues, allowing the bot to autonomously execute functions such as turning or stopping based on the data it processes.

Crucially, the workshops also highlight the limitations of the technology through concepts like Confidence Thresholds and AI Bias. Students learn that the AI assigns a probability score to what it sees; if this score drops below a set threshold due to poor lighting or a dirty lens, the robot fails to react. This demonstrates how bias can occur if a system is only trained on "perfect" data, leaving it unable to cope with real-world variables. Ultimately, students realise that while the AI appears intelligent, it does not possess feelings or true understanding. It is simply executing complex learned routines without comprehending the context or motivation behind them, a vital distinction that encourages students to think critically about the ethical implications of the technologies they create.

To find out more about bringing this workshop and others to your school, please enquire below.