Surbhi and Suhani Bangia of Class 12 attended a two-week course on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning at Oxford University from 10th to 23rd August, representing both India and our school with distinction.

The programme offered a carefully designed balance of lectures, workshops, group projects, and cultural activities. Participants were introduced to the foundations of AI, beginning with its history and moving into technical areas such as supervised and unsupervised learning, reinforcement learning, and neural networks. Sessions on Large Language Models, including prediction methods and fine-tuning, gave deeper insights into how modern AI functions. Real-world case studies helped connect theory with practical applications. The academic sessions were conducted by Mr. Jean-Paul Carvalho and Mr. Jeremy Large from the Department of Economics, supported by the Saïd Business School, who linked technical learning with economic, ethical, and societal discussions.

A major part of the course was the group project, where students made hypothetical investments in assets likely to benefit from the growth of AI. Surbhi’s team secured second place for their presentation, while Suhani’s team also performed strongly. Feedback on these projects will be shared in the coming months.

The programme brought together students from across the world, including participants from France, the United States, Myanmar, Hong Kong, China, the United Kingdom, etc. Collaborating, debating, and living with peers from such diverse backgrounds gave them exposure to new perspectives and helped them build lasting friendships. They also took part in excursions such as a visit to Bletchley Park, punting on the Cherwell River, formal dinners, and an Oxford treasure hunt, all of which added to their experience of the city’s cultural and historical richness.

Overall, the course proved to be both academically enriching and personally rewarding. The skills, perspectives, and friendships gained will remain valuable long after programme.