Machine Learning for Kids

A hands-on, application-based introduction to machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI). Create compelling AI-powered games and applications using the Scratch programming language.

AI Made Easy with 13 Projects

Machine learning (also known as ML) is one of the building blocks of AI, or artificial intelligence. AI is based on the idea that computers can learn on their own, with your help.

Machine Learning for Kids will introduce you to machine learning, painlessly. With this book and its free, Scratch-based companion website, you’ll see how easy it is to add machine learning to your own projects. You don’t even need to know how to code!

Step by easy step, you’ll discover how machine learning systems can be taught to recognize text, images, numbers, and sounds, and how to train your models to improve them.

You’ll turn your models into 13 fun computer games and apps, including:

• A Rock, Paper, Scissors game that recognizes your hand shapes
• A computer character that reacts to insults and compliments
• An interactive virtual assistant (like Siri or Alexa)
• A movie recommendation app
• An AI version of Pac-Man

There’s no experience required and step-by-step instructions make sure that anyone can follow along!

No Experience Necessary! Ages 12+

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: What Is Artificial Intelligence?

Chapter 2: Introducing Machine Learning for Kids

Chapter 3: Sorting Animal Pictures

Chapter 4: Playing Rock, Paper, Scissors Against Your Computer

Chapter 5: Recognizing Movie Posters

Chapter 6: Mail Sorting

Chapter 7: Insulting a Computer

Chapter 8: Recognizing Language in Newspapers

Chapter 9: Finding an Object in a Picture

Chapter 10: Smart Assistants

Chapter 11: Chatbots

Chapter 12: Avoiding the Monster

Chapter 13: Tic Tac Toe

Chapter 14: Confusing the Computer

Chapter 15: Biasing the Computer

Review

“Machine Learning for Kids is another leading-edge resource for data scientists, this time for very young data scientists.”

—Daniel Gutierrez, insideBIGDATA

“What delights me about this book is that it’s wonderfully pragmatic, for it guides you in building AI systems that are very much relevant to contemporary computer science.” (from the foreword)

—Grady Booch, IBM Fellow and Chief Scientist for Software Engineering, IBM Research

“The book is a guided hands-on and practical introduction to how artificial intelligence impacts our lives. It includes step-by-step instructions for making a variety of machine learning-powered projects in Scratch, and explains how they each relate to real-world AI applications.”

—Alphonse Devasia Blog

“Machine Learning and children in one sentence is only possible when cool folks like Dale Lane make it their passion to ‘make tech understandable.'”

—Coding and More, YouTuber

About the Author

Dale Lane is an award-winning, UK-based software developer for IBM, where he’s worked on IBM’s (AI) Watson platform since 2011. The father of two children, he’s gained distinction working on projects and games that help explain core principles of machine learning to younger students. Lane’s free companion website for this book (https://machinelearningforkids.co.uk/) is now used in thousands of schools, and has received worldwide acclaim.