ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – Artificial intelligence, or AI, is becoming increasingly prevalent across many industries and sectors. A group of students at the Delta Schoolcraft Intermediate School District (ISD) is learning how artificial intelligence works and ways to safely apply their knowledge in the workforce.
“We try to use AI as a tool for promoting higher knowledge, rather than just giving answers,” said IT Essentials instructor Josh Blumensaadt.
A primary focus of the ISD’s IT Essentials class is cybersecurity, which is as much of an issue as ever with the emergence of AI.
“We try to promote the understanding of what’s actually going on with AI,” Blumensaadt said. “Where are your prompts going? What kind of access do systems have? Cybersecurity’s kind of like a teeter-totter. It’s a balance with convenience and security.”
The ISD built a custom server, giving students like senior Cash Royer firsthand experience with the technology.
“We have a front end that kind of acts like ChatGPT, and then there’s another one that acts like Stable Diffusion or Nano Banana, which is image generation,” Royer said. “I can ask it a question, like, ‘How do I set up a VLAN and network for a small business?’ You can see it running. Then, it starts laying out the step-by-step on how to set up a VLAN and network for a small business.”
Royer and his classmates have also learned how to code simple, clicker games.
“The best way to learn something is to actually do something,” said Royer. “If they go out there and use ChatGPT and then they look on forums, they can slowly but surely build that confidence and then build an actual game.”
The students’ most recent project involved infrastructure dessign.
“They’ll use AI within that to find the best products to use and how to lay out the building,” explained Blumensaadt. “One of the brands we’re using is Unify. They have a GPT—a generative pre-trained transformer—trained on all their products, so basically, you have an expert ready to talk to virtually at any point. Rather than searching their website and going through all the technical documents, you can ask, ‘You have a room with 500 square feet. What axis points would meet the needs for this project?'”
Royer says for all of its pros, the technology does come with some cons.
“One big negative is the data getting out there,” he said. “That’s why we’ve worked on this project with this AI computer—none of the data’s getting out there. Then, there’s dependency on it. Instead of outright giving you the answer, it’ll slowly but surely act like a teacher, like slowly push you closer and closer towards the right answer so you’re actually learning it.”
He says this class gives him the tools to combat those issues. He also feels prepared to enter a workforce that’s utilizing artificial intelligence more and more every day.
“I use AI at work,” said Royer. “Every time I’m troubleshooting, I have to use it. Either I take hours looking at forums, or I write a quick question and I get it fixed really fast. That’s a big thing—you’ve got to get stuff fixed fast. It’s just a new technology and people need to adapt, that’s my thought process.”
“I think AI is here to stay, and it’s going to be ingrained in pretty much everything we do with technology,” Blumensaadt added. “I think it’s important to not just take it for what it is, but to understand it.”
To see more of what ISD students are doing with AI, click here.
