From chatbots such as ChatGPT to self-driving cars, artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the world, and students at Carlmont aren’t just watching from the sidelines.
Carlmont’s AI and Machine Learning Club gives students the chance to explore the field of AI and develop skills that will prepare them for the future.
Led by club president Theodore Mui and vice president Daniel Jiang, both seniors, the club introduces students to AI concepts such as large language models and machine learning, providing hands-on experience to stay up to date with the latest trends in the field.
Found in room D24, the club is hosted by advisor Jadie Sun, who is also an AP computer science teacher at Carlmont.
“The AI and Machine Learning club is a club that teaches AI techniques and foundational machine learning concepts to students who are interested in the field,” Mui said. “We teach from the beginning all the way to the latest advances in the field that are happening in generative AI, such as agents and large language models.”
In recent times, AI has quickly become one of the most in-demand fields of study among students. AI is no longer limited to tech; it’s used everywhere, including healthcare, finance, education, music, and more.
Sun, who recently wrote many letters of recommendation for her students, knows this well.
“AI right now is so hot. Everyone wants to learn about AI. [The AI and Machine Learning Club] is at the forefront of all that technology,” Sun said.
Sun also reflected on the current leaders of the club.
“There’s definitely passion among the leadership,” Sun said. “I see this club moving forward for at least another couple years.”
In previous years, the club was named the Data Science and Machine Learning Club. With the recent name change, the club shifted its focus more toward AI and modern technologies.
“We decided we wanted to focus more on AI and teaching what’s going on, what’s happening right now, and what’s most important,” Mui said.
Now, club members can develop coding experience through platforms such as Python, Google Colab, PyTorch, and modern AI libraries like LlamaIndex and LangChain.
Beyond these lessons, students can test their skills in competitions. According to Mui, the club intends to participate in Kaggle competitions during this year. Kaggle is an online community for data scientists that hosts competitions for AI and machine learning, where competitors use datasets to build models that predict outcomes and ultimately win cash prizes.
“We use these competitions to train our students and also help them gain experience with real-world problem solving,” Mui said.
According to Mui, the club also plans to engage with the community through events such as guest speakers and interactions with elementary and middle schools to teach AI to the community.
Last year, the club invited an industry expert from Salesforce, a company heavily involved in AI, which generated a lot of interest.
“The head of Salesforce was amazing. He packed the room,” Sun said. “We’re going to be looking forward to other speakers in the future.”
Additionally, the club also inspires students to engage in and start their own projects. Over the last summer, Mui led a project on social dilemmas alongside other interested club members. The group developed AI simulations of social dilemmas using techniques such as AI agents.
Although the club engages in complex topics, the club works to simplify the material to help others understand.
“We usually teach through examples, and then we also have a course where the rigor of the course increases throughout the lesson,” Jiang said. “We teach how the concept is applied in real life so the students can make connections.”
Because of the complex nature of the subject, Mui explains that some coding experience is preferred. However, the club will still provide lessons that allow students to learn as they go.
Students who are interested in technology or simply want to understand the tools that will shape the future should consider attending a club meeting at D24 on the second and fourth Fridays of each month.
While students learn AI techniques and machine learning concepts, the club does not forget to emphasize the ethical use of these tools.
“AI is like a double-edged sword,” Jiang said. “It has advantages in the way that you can create projects that are innovative, but you can also use it in many ways. Many students use it to help with their homework. That doesn’t necessarily promote learning. So just be careful with the way you use AI.”
