Empowering Future Innovators: Year 8s Take a Closer Look at AI

On 25th April, a group of our Year 8 Computer Science students participated in an engaging workshop on Artificial Intelligence (AI). Avril Calder, one of our CFSL Trustees, invited two very knowledgeable presenters to CFGS – Mike Cheney who leads the Technical Account Manager Team at Multiverse, a tech start-up with links to leading businesses that offer apprenticeships in tech roles and Ewelina Lacey, a Trustee of CFSL and the Regional Director for Europe at the Institute for Study Abroad.

One of the Year 8 students wrote an article all about it:

I, along with a group of fellow Year 8 students, had the opportunity to take part in a fascinating workshop on artificial intelligence (AI). The event aimed to teach us more about how AI works, its strengths, limitations and how it can be used responsibly.

The day began with a presentation from our first speaker, Mike Cheney, who introduced us to the basics of AI, including types like machine learning and chatbots. We started with an activity that involved walking around the room and reading interesting facts about AI. We were then asked to choose our favourite fact and explain why it stood out to us. One student said, "The most interesting thing I learned was that AI was created in the 1950s. I found it interesting since I would’ve guessed it was made in the 2010s or later." Many of us were surprised by how long AI has actually been around.

Our speaker also showed us how to use chatbots like ChatGPT more effectively. He introduced us to a helpful acronym called FOCUS, which we used to craft better prompts for generating high-quality responses. We then used this technique to create a short news article based on a historical event, following a specific set of criteria. The best articles were chosen as winners, and those students received some cool merchandise.

One of the most important lessons from this part of the workshop was that "the better format or data you give to ChatGPT or any AI, the better the response you get." This helped us understand how important it is to think carefully about how we ask questions or give instructions to AI tools.

‘I learnt that AI can be wrong, and I also didn't know that it'd give biased answers too.’

‘I learned that based on the prompt you give it, the answer that the AI gives you will range. A good prompt = a good answer.’

‘I learnt that AI can be wrong, and I also didn't know that it'd give biased answers too.’

‘I learned that based on the prompt you give it, the answer that the AI gives you will range. A good prompt = a good answer.’

Our second speaker, Ewelina Lacey, talked to us about the flaws and risks of using AI. We learned that AI tools are not perfect—they can be biased, inaccurate or misleading. Since AI gathers information from online sources, it doesn’t always fact-check and can sometimes provide false answers. As one student said, "It convinced me to not rely on large language models like ChatGPT to complete my tasks for me, as it can easily make mistakes and give false information."

To better understand how AI can sometimes be misleading, we played a fun game where we had to spot the difference between real and AI-generated images. At first, the images looked incredibly realistic, but when we looked closer, we noticed small details that seemed off, like strange fingers or mismatched backgrounds. My friends and I managed to spot all the correct ones, which made it even more enjoyable.

This session helped many of us realise how important it is to be careful when using AI. One student said, "It will make me more aware that not all information online is real and I should always check." Another added, "It can help me know when and when not to use it. It can also benefit me by helping me with my work—not by entirely doing it, but by helping me understand it."

Overall, the workshop was eye-opening and incredibly useful. It helped us see both the benefits and the challenges of using AI. As one student summed it up, "A lot of the points could benefit me, considering AI is used almost everywhere now—and in the future, we will see more and more of it.” With AI becoming more common in schools, work and daily life, events like this are important to help us understand how to use it wisely and responsibly.

By Raidah 8I

Students Say:

‘It helped me think deeper of what career I want to pursue as now I know a bit more about some jobs that might be displaced by AI.’