Children interact with Animaker, an exhibit that includes AI and machine learning, during National AI Literacy Day at Tech Interactive on Friday, April 19, 2024 in San Jose, California. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
When it comes to technology, the youngest generation will pick it up faster than others. But that doesn't mean we don't have to try to keep up with them.
That's one reason San Jose's Tech Interactive hosted a National AI Literacy Day event Friday morning. Sure, there were more than 1,100 students crawling through the downtown learning center, but why is it important for communities to understand artificial intelligence and how it's already impacting schools and communities? Teachers and administrators were also on hand to hear from experts in panel discussions about how they are making an impact.
“Thinking about the skills students need to succeed and access AI is important for education,” said Esmerelda Tovar, the University of Technology's computer science education manager, during a panel discussion discussing the need for AI literacy. It's very important.”
In her welcome address, Tech Interactive CEO Katrina Stevens shared some key points for parents to keep in mind regarding AI and their children. Remember, this is just a set of tools and is not a replacement for thinking for yourself. And a reminder that not everything that artificial intelligence produces is accurate.
In the tech gallery, students from elementary school to high school were able to see some fun potential applications of AI. Some of them will be displayed in technology in the future. These include images that depict colorful shapes based on people's stories, and AI robot artists that create line drawings of people's portraits from photos. There was also a robot dog on the gallery floor that entertained children, but it was actually remotely controlled and had no chance of becoming a Terminator pet.
There were several AI-related activities taking place across the United States on Friday, but San Jose was just one of three cities hosting an official National AI Literacy Day event, the others being New York City and Washington, D.C. said the deputy US secretary in a recorded video. Education Secretary Cindy Marten said it was fitting that the event would be held in San Jose, where the government founded the Government and AI Coalition last year to create standards for AI in government.
“We would like to thank Tech Interactive for taking on a leadership role and providing a venue for our West Coast event,” said Marten. “As Silicon Valley continues to drive technological advancement, cities across the country will look to your pioneering efforts for guidance.”
Community loss: It's hard to overstate the impact Rick Holden has had on San Jose, especially the arts community, over the past several decades. Holden, 79, died suddenly of a heart attack at his home in Naglee Park on April 10, but his memory will be remembered by many for years to come.
I met this longtime educator about 20 years ago when he led a series of research projects aimed at providing participants with a deeper understanding of their communities, from government and education to nonprofits and the arts. while serving as director of Community Leadership San Jose, a program of the Chamber of Commerce. He also founded the San Jose Leadership Academy to provide the same community-building tools to high school students in the San Jose Unified School District.
But he did so much more than that, holding leadership roles on the boards of San Jose Jazz, City Lights Theater Company, We Players, not to mention a seven-year stint on the San Jose Arts Commission ( He also served as the committee chairman for three years. These are just some of the causes that Holden and his wife Sandra Mohr supported.
His latest passion was the Levitt Pavilion, a proposed free concert stage for St. James Park. Holden has been a strong supporter of this idea from the beginning, and was the driving force behind the creation of the Friends of Levitt Pavilion in San Jose in 2016. I often saw him sitting at a table at festivals downtown spreading the word about the initiative. This effort continues, with several successful series of his concerts on temporary stages over the past two years. We hope he'll be there for the spring series, which begins May 26th and runs consecutive Sundays through his Father's Day on June 16th.
Plans for a public memorial are still in progress, but in the meantime, I would like to pay my respects to Holden by going to as many Levitt Pavilion concerts as possible, sponsoring other arts groups in San Jose, and supporting this It's about continuing to try to bring people together to create monuments. A better community. That's what he did and continued to do to the end.
Where to enjoy hot jazz?: Another place I met Rick Holden regularly was at San Jose Jazz Summer Fest, where he probably got a boost from the San Jose Fire Museum, the venue for the Summer Fest kickoff fundraiser on May 10th. It would be. The Old Fire Station No. 1 on Market Street is filled with artifacts and vehicles from San Jose's firefighting history. Also on that night will be music from his band High School All Stars and musician Chickadee, who performed at last year's Summer Festival. festival.
A limited number of VIP tables are available and proceeds from the night (including silent and live auctions) will be donated to the Jazz Aid Foundation. The JazzAid Foundation provides grants to musicians and spurs new work, which is frequently performed at his New Jazz Show in San Jose. Works Festa. For more information, please visit www.sanjosejazz.org and click on “Support.”
No Parking? no problem: If you're worried about parking at the Nikkei Festival in San Jose's historic Japantown on Sunday, don't let that stop you from having a great time. There is a parking lot near the County Government Center at First and Heading Streets, and a shuttle will run between the lot and Happy House at Fifth and Taylor Streets from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can also leave your car at home and travel by bicycle. The Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition has free, supervised bicycle parking available at events.
The long-running Japanese cultural festival will include four stages this year with music and dance performances, as well as food booths and trucks and arts and crafts sales. For more information, including performance schedules, please visit www.nikkeimatsuri.org.
