AI Amplified is our flagship AI literacy programme here in Singapore, designed and run free of charge with the aim of democratising access to AI for anyone and everyone (thanks to support from AVPN and google.org). Because of this mission, we’ve gotten to run AI trainings for hundreds of learners from all walks of life - from social sector practitioners, to entrepreneurs, students on the cusp of entering the workforce, and just about every other profile you can imagine. We’ve invested a lot of care into crafting curriculum, fine-tuning the learner experience - and learned a tonne along the way.
Here’s a snippet:
People are overwhelmed with AI.
There’s no lack of information about AI - in the news, on your feeds, it’s infiltrating everything from your watercooler conversations to your CNY catchups with distant relatives. But this doesn’t mean we’re well-informed; instead, so many of us are overwhelmed. We see this in the misconceptions many learners enter our programmes with - like grossly underestimating the amount of human time and effort required to set up and manage an AI agent, that implementing AI is a “once and done” action, that an AI could easily replace the role of your least favourite colleague (it’s okay, we’ve all been there). We’ve learned that learners aren’t looking for more information - they’re looking for us to meet them where they’re at, sources they can trust, and sometimes - a reality check.
AI upskilling is more about change management than technical learning.
Having facilitated digitalisation sprints and introductory AI bootcamps for social service organisations large and small, we’ve learned that the real work isn’t so much in teaching individuals technical skills, but supporting individuals through changing workflows. They say ”change moves at the speed of trust”, and we’ve learned to design every training to meet learners where they are at and journeying with them at a pace they’re comfortable with.
Learning is a vulnerable process.
At Hatch Academy, we get to work with some incredible subject experts who advise our curriculum and facilitate our classroom experiences. That said, we’ve learned that what matters the most isn’t an instructor’s credentials - it’s providing a safety net and safe space to play. Learners are venturing into new territory, and mistakes are a natural and important part of the learning process. Expertise is the baseline, but what makes a real difference is creating a space that encourages people to show up and to feel safe and supported through their vulnerabilities.
Enthusiasm is contagious, and it’s a privilege to be around experts!
The nature of our job requires us to be around trainers and experts who live, breathe, and geek out about AI daily! And if you’ve met Martina, Xin Yi, Bing Wen or any of our trainers - you’ll have experienced first hand how contagious their enthusiasm and curiosity about AI are. Being around them reminds us that we have so much more to learn, and we’re just at the start. Everyone learns at their own pace, and we’ll all get where we need to be.
A free product or service is a dream, but nothing is really free.
AI, and particularly Generative AI, currently comes with a high cost. Data-centers which host the infrastructure for training and run deep learning models are often constructed in dry regions and guzzle up to 5 million gallons of water a day, worsening water insecurity within communities. The work of training the algorithms behind the most popular AI tools is typically outsourced to “ghost workers” in developing countries, many of whom suffer lasting trauma and mental health disorders as a result of having to watch hundreds of videos of deeply disturbing content each day day for work. Like flying, eating meat, and fast fashion, the cost of AI goes way beyond its pricetag.
How would we use AI differently if we were truly mindful about its cost? This is not talked about enough, and we sit with complexity this as a team that holds idealism and realism in both hands.
So this is what we’ve learned from running free AI literacy trainings so far! It’s been an adventure and we’re treading with care, and our heads and hearts open to how we can do better, for our learners, the people affected by the development of AI, and the planet. If this resonated, we’d love to hear from you - shoot us a message, follow us on LinkedIn or subscribe to our newsletter; let’s lean into the big questions together.