TCCHS class becomes first in Georgia to complete Intermediate AI lab
Published 10:16 pm Thursday, November 6, 2025
THOMASVILLE — Students at Thomas County Central High School involved in Mark Thompson’s AP Computer Science Program recently had the opportunity to partake in the Intermediate Artificial Intelligence lab, led by professors from Georgia Tech. Thompson’s class was the first class in Georgia to attempt the lab, which was an exciting feat for some students.
In the Intermediate AI module, students utilize the Elegoo Smart Bot to explore artificial intelligence and machine learning. They begin by using Elegoo’s on-board camera to photograph two different colored pieces of paper. The papers, which were red and green, are then categorized based on the patterns the students have already coded into the robot.
Thompson was eager to see how his students responded.
“AI is the buzzword,” he said. “To them, AI is ChatGPT and maybe the bots on Snapchat, but AI is a much bigger thing. It’s pattern recognition, and it’s so critical to understand what that is, because it’s everywhere.”
Students not only learned how AI follows those patterns, but they also learned about the bias.
“Bias and ethics go hand in hand,” Thompson said. “They’ve already learned that some of these cameras have poor quality, and it creates a bias. When you use ChatGPT, all of its information is siphoned off of the Internet, so that’s going to be biased by whatever information it’s been trained on.”
Two students, Andrew Robertson and Eduardo Velasco, spoke on their experience with AI and how this module has changed their perspective on its possibilities.
“AI is becoming a part of everyday life,” said Robertson. “It’s kind of scary to be honest.”
Velasco agreed, but said it also has some positives.
“AI is evolving and has the possibility to do some great things in medicine and technology,” he said.
The module allowed both Robertson and Velasco a chance to tinker with it, as they learn how it will play a role in modern society.
“If AI is going to be playing a bigger role in our lives and industries in general, you’re going to have to learn how to adapt to it,” Robertson said. “It’s taking over jobs, so if you don’t learn either how to use it or how to do better than it can, you’re going to be left behind.”
With their newfound knowledge, Robertson and Velasco hope to use AI in subjects they struggle with.
“I’m not an avid writer; it’s not my strong suit,” Robertson said. “So, I would like to use AI to learn some techniques on how to make it easier for me.”
Velasco said he hopes to use AI to improve his math skills.
“If I’m stuck on a problem, it’ll explain it,” Velasco said.
Robertson admitted he has used AI to break down the logic behind an answer.
“Every so often, I’ll come across a question that even when I work it out, it’s not right,” he said. “So, I take the question and plug it into a search engine, and it’ll give me an AI overview and how you get this answer.”
Robertson said with AI becoming a bigger part of his everyday life, from class to helping him with his homework, he hopes other students will take the time to learn how to properly use it.
Other schools that are part of the Rural Computer Science Initiative may also participate in this module once the kinks are worked out.
“Being the guinea pigs, not everything works out right, but that’s okay,” Thompson said. “The kids are pretty sharp and they are willing to try new things.”
The module takes a total of five days to complete, and once completed, students can then participate in the Advanced AI module, which Georgia Tech is hoping to roll out this spring.
Overall, Thompson hopes students take away a better understanding of what AI is and how it only does what its programmer tells it to.
