Mark Cuban’s AI Bootcamps: Building Wealth Through ChatGPT
Written by
Terence Loose
Edited by
Joe Evans
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For a man who started his business career at 12 years old by selling trash bags door-to-door, billionaire Mark Cuban has done alright for himself. But with a net worth of $5.4 billion, according to Forbes, the former principal owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks — and cofounder of Cost Plus Drugs — seems just as interested in paying it forward as he does in increasing his fortune. Enter his free AI Bootcamps Initiative for underserved high school students.
Through his AI Bootcamps, the “Shark Tank” star has a deal for motivated students around the nation: Learn about the most recent developments in ChatGPT (and other AI sectors) and discover how they can use these tech tools to make a more exciting, better future for themselves — and society in general.
Cuban Has a Positive Vision For AI Tools
Cuban believes that artificial intelligence will have a greater impact on our world, and our kids’ futures, than personal computers or the internet. A bold statement, but one he acted on by founding his AI Bootcamps Initiative in 2019. Having reached about 1,700 students so far, the effort will ramp up this year, with a plan to host more than 600 students in more than 30 cities. The boot camps partner with leading technology companies in various cities, with Cuban’s foundation recruiting the students and training the company’s employees to teach the classes.
This focus on education is nothing new to Cuban, who has been a longtime supporter of making quality education more available and affordable. In particular, he sees a large deficit in AI education in public schools and wants to change that. “By democratizing AI education, we empower these kids to shape their futures and contribute meaningfully to the digital economy,” Cuban told Fortune. Cuban hopes to encourage students to leverage AI in using their own creativity to establish businesses and solve problems in their communities.
Teaching Students About the Depth of AI Abilities
To that end, a big part of the boot camps is to educate students on what AI is — and is not. For instance, as his official boot camp page stated, AI is not Hollywood’s version of killer robots, or “not yet at least.” It is also not restricted to ChatGPT algorithms that will help you write that five-page essay on “Othello.”
“AI is how TikTok knows what video you’ll love next, how self-driving cars avoid pedestrians, how Alexa understands your sentences, and much, much more,” Cuban’s site suggested.
According to the IMF, in advanced countries such as the U.S., AI will impact about 60% of jobs. About half of that impact will be beneficial, the other half not so much, with many jobs disappearing altogether. Cuban’s goal is to prepare students for this eventuality and to show them that if they know how to use AI to their advantage, far from threatening their future, it will enhance it.
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