Power up your AI knowledge this summer.

Virtual Course for High School and College Students: June 22–Aug. 4, 2026

Dive into the transformative world of artificial intelligence! Available to high school and college students, this course teaches students from any background how AI works and how to use it effectively. 
 
Students will learn how modern AI systems work, demystifying the large language models behind chatbots, image generators, and more. They will also develop a critical lens for evaluating AI's societal impact, examining issues ranging from privacy and creative authorship to bias and labor. Finally, the course will teach students how to use AI effectively with hands-on activities and projects. Students will learn to responsibly integrate AI into their studying and research workflows, and build custom software tools using AI-powered coding agents. By the end of the course, they will be well-equipped to engage with AI confidently, critically, and responsibly.
 

Why This Program?
  • Learn the basics of AI with no prior experience required.
  • Join this course from anywhere online, June 22–Aug. 4, 2026.
  • Earn credits from Cornell.
  • Gain hands-on experience integrating AI into academic workflows, research, and real-world applications.
  • Leave the program equipped to engage with AI confidently, think critically about its implications, and innovate responsibly.
two female students work on a laptop

Program Overview

Offered by the Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science, this course is your starting point to become an informed, effective, and responsible AI user. Join us to unlock the possibilities of AI – critically, creatively, and confidently!

This course is available to high school and college students, including Cornell students. 

Complete your registration through the School of Continuing Education and Summer Sessions. 
 

Register for the class

The online summer session runs June 22–Aug. 4. 

Classes will be held Monday through Friday, 4-5:15 p.m. EDT. 

The Curriculum

This course is a gateway for students of any major or background to delve into the fascinating world of artificial intelligence. By the end, participants will confidently navigate and apply AI with both technical skill and ethical awareness.

  • Explore the core technologies powering AI systems, including large language models that drive tools like chatbots and image generators.
  • Learn the basics of machine learning, neural networks, and natural language processing in an accessible way.
  • Analyze the broader implications of AI, from data privacy to labor dynamics and creative authorship.
  • Understand how bias creeps into AI systems and assess the consequences on equity and fairness.
  • Develop hands-on strategies for incorporating AI into academic workflows while maintaining a critical lens.
  • Explore how to responsibly integrate AI into research, studying, and productivity.
  • Gain practical experience in creating custom tools using AI-powered coding assistants.
  • Experiment with coding applications to solve real-world problems.
  • Leave the course equipped to interact with AI thoughtfully, use it effectively, and engage with its ethical challenges.
  • Shape your perspective as both a user and a potential innovator in the AI space.

Course Development Team

This course is developed by leading experts at Cornell Bowers who are driving technology, humanity, and society forward as one. Their guidance will help you build both practical skills and a critical understanding of AI’s role in shaping the future.
 


Instructor

jacob matthews

JACOB MATTHEWS 
Ph.D. Candidate

Jacob Matthews is a Ph.D. candidate at Cornell University exploring how computational and experimental techniques can deepen humanistic inquiry. With a focus on natural language processing, he has contributed to research on artificial intelligence and poetry and plays a key role in the Humanities Lab project examining the semantics of indigeneity.
 

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Advisors

 

sorin lerner

SORIN LERNER
Dean, Cornell Bowers
Professor of Computer Science

Sorin Lerner is the dean of the Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science. A professor of computer science, his research focuses on providing programmers with tools to make software more secure and reliable. Prior to joining Cornell, Lerner served as chair of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of California, San Diego. There, he helped guide the launch of a new major in artificial intelligence, as well as an online master of data science program, the first fully online degree program at the university.
 

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claire cardie

CLAIRE CARDIE
Associate Dean for Education
John C. Ford Professor of Engineering in the Departments of Computer Science and Information Science

Claire Cardie is the John C. Ford Professor of Engineering in the Departments of Computer Science and Information Science. She was the founding chair of the Department of Information Science and led the development of its academic programs. Cardie works in the area of Natural Language Processing (NLP) on topics ranging from information extraction, text summarization, and noun phrase coreference resolution, to the automatic analysis of opinions, argumentation, and deception in text.
 

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David Mimno

DAVID MIMNO
Department Chair, Information Science
Professor of Information Science

David Mimno is a professor and chair of the Department of Information Science. He holds a Ph.D. from UMass Amherst and was previously the head programmer at the Perseus Project at Tufts and a researcher at Princeton University. His work has been supported by the Sloan foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the National Science Foundation.
 

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