What if students could build their own language model?
Last week, the Generation AI consortium met at the University of Helsinki to review our progress and discuss the next steps in developing AI literacy education for schools.
One of the most interesting things we are currently working on is the Little Language Machine.
From using AI to understanding it
Students are already surrounded by generative AI. They can ask ChatGPT a question and get an answer in seconds. But what actually happens behind the screen?
The Little Language Machine is being developed to help students explore that question. It allows them to build their own small language models and see, in a practical way, how a language model processes language and generates text.
The idea is simple: instead of only teaching students how to use AI, we want to help them understand how it works.
This is an important distinction for AI literacy. Individual AI tools will come and go. The underlying concepts are much more lasting. When students understand the basic principles behind AI, they are better prepared to evaluate and use both today’s and tomorrow’s technologies.
Making complex technology understandable
This is also one of the interesting challenges we discussed when the Generation AI consortium met last week: how can we take something as complex as a language model and turn it into a learning experience that students can explore themselves?
The answer is not to give them more theory. It is to let them experiment, build and discover. That is the thinking behind the Little Language Machine and the other educational tools being developed in Generation AI and provided by Code School Finland.
The Little Language Machine is planned for release later this year. We look forward to seeing what students discover when they get the chance to look inside the technology they already use.
Interested?
If you are exploring how to bring AI into teaching in a practical and meaningful way, we are happy to share more about this approach and what it could look like in your context.
Contact
CEO Kaisu Pallaskallio
Whatsapp +358 44 355 7355
kaisu@codeschool.fi.
