Amazon Launches New Program To Help HBCUs Teach AI

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has launched an educator-enablement program at its Machine Learning University to help HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions teach the ins and outs of AI. 

Artificial intelligence has become one of the fastest-growing skill sets across multiple industries. Despite this, AI is still out of reach for many students, especially Black and Latinx students.  

AWS Machine Learning University program aims to help HBCUs and other institutions serving historically underserved and underrepresented students to deliver courses in next-gen tech.

“We need the best minds from all backgrounds entering these fields [database, AI, and Machine Learning],” Swami Sivasubrmanian, AWS Vice President of Databases, Analytics, and Machine Learning said in a statement.

“The educator enablement program is designed to make it easier for any educational institution to start teaching advanced technologies by removing the barriers of cost and educator training.” 

The program was sparked by a letter from Professor Raymond Brown about how he had adapted early versions of Machine Learning University’s content for his students at Houston Community College. Brown’s resourcefulness inspired AWS, leading them to develop the educator enablement program.

The program provides institutions with a free, comprehensive educator-enablement bootcamp and a curriculum based on the same AWS Machine Learning University courses Amazon uses to help train future data scientists and developers. 

Additionally, the new professional development program will help college instructors enhance their AI expertise so they can go on to teach AI through four semester-long courses.