2024-10-17

In rural Taiwan, digital educational resources are unevenly distributed. Moreover, caregivers rarely have enough time to spend with their children. To address these dual issues, Taiwan’s Mustard Seed Mission coordinated with Lenovo to launch a workshop on artificial intelligence (AI) for sustainability, with a focus on the issue of caring for the community. Eighty corporate volunteers traveled to Jinmei Elementary School in Jinshan District, New Taipei City, to help introduce students to the joy of AI illustration. The event contributed to the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of quality education. 

The Mustard Seed Mission CEO Li Zhao-jia said education could turn a child’s life around. She added that the AI course elevated learning opportunities in the age of digitalization for children in rural areas. Using AI learning tools, Li said, helped bridge the digital gap for rural children and contributed to the SDG of quality education.

The AI for sustainability workshop was designed for fourth and sixth grade elementary students. Because the children were relatively inexperienced in using technology and AI, volunteers patiently accompanied and guided them through the class, helping overcome any unfamiliarity with the technology. The theme of the workshop was “If you have the ability in the future, what do you want to do to help your hometown?” The students turned their ideas into pictures, using a design generator made by Canva and powered by generative AI. Sharing their completed work, the children realized that they too could be creative.