United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) has been selected to host a Mark Cuban Foundation Artificial Intelligence (AI) Bootcamp for high school students this fall.
The AI Bootcamp in Pontiac, Mich., will be free and seeks to introduce underserved students in grades 9-12 to basic AI concepts and skills.
UWM is one of more than 20 companies selected to host 30 camps across the U.S. this fall. The UWM bootcamp will be held over four consecutive Saturdays, starting on Oct. 22 and ending on Nov. 12.
Students do not need any prior experience with computer science, programming, or robotics to attend.
Throughout the AI Bootcamp, the foundation said, students will learn what artificial intelligence is and is not, where they already interact with AI in their own lives, and the ethical implications of AI systems — including, but not limited to, TikTok recommendations, smart home assistants, facial recognition, and self-driving cars, to name a few.
Students benefit from volunteer mentor instructors who are knowledgeable about data science and able to help students quickly understand material normally taught at a collegiate level. As part of the five-hour curriculum, students also get to work in Microsoft Azure, Microsoft's cloud computing platform, each day to build their own AI applications related to Chatbots, Computer Vision, Machine Learning, and Natural Language Processing.
“Providing local students access to educational opportunities is something we are extremely passionate about at UWM, so partnering with the Mark Cuban Foundation on this initiative was a no brainer,” said Laura Lawson, UWM’s chief people officer. “We have the space, technology expertise, and passion that made hosting this bootcamp a natural fit, and we’re excited to see the impact this has on the community.”
The Mark Cuban Foundation provides the curriculum materials, trains volunteer mentors, and recruits and selects local students to attend. In addition, the foundation and UWM will work together to provide food, transportation, and access to laptops for students at no cost throughout the duration of the camp.
"This bootcamp gave me the opportunity to discover the potential that AI has to revolutionize our world, but more importantly, it helped me see that I have a place to make an impact and contribute to that progress,” said Sarah S., a 2021 bootcamp participant.
Founded by Mark Cuban in 2019, the AI Bootcamp initiative has hosted free bootcamps for students across several U.S. cities, including Dallas; Pasadena, Calif.; Chicago; Pittsburgh; Detroit; and Atlantic City. The Mark Cuban Foundation has hosted more than 450 students to date and has a goal to have 1,000 students graduate from its AI Bootcamp Program in 2023.
