This summer, AI and technology-themed study tours have become a hot trend in the study tour market. More and more parents are using study tours as their children's "science enlightenment courses," introducing them to AI tools and technological products through fun and engaging activities.

While all are AI-based learning programs, their formats vary greatly—there are "check-in tours" that directly connect students to tech companies, "AI tool crash courses" that teach programming, music composition, and video production, as well as "off-campus AI classrooms" taught by renowned university professors, robot product experiences, and so on.

When "Don't let your child lose at the starting line of AI" becomes a marketing slogan, how should parents view and rationally choose AI-based learning experiences? How can the short-term popularity of AI-based learning experiences be transformed into long-term educational value?

Searching for "AI study tours" on social media platforms reveals a flood of advertisements for technology-themed study tour products, including many brain-computer interface (BCI) product experience tours.

Merchant: Have you ever seen a game that you can play using only your brain? No controllers, no phone, all controlled by your thoughts. We offer mind-controlled popcorn, mind-controlled cotton candy, mind-controlled fruit squeezing, and even brainwave painting. This isn't just an ordinary amusement park; it's a technological learning experience that can train your concentration.

One organization told reporters that their courses can help children unlock skills such as AI modeling and AI music composition within three days.

The vendor states: We offer courses in 3D printing modeling, drones, music composition, and AI programming, teaching children modeling within three days. Our electronics circuit course integrates modeling, electronic circuits, and welding, allowing children to create mechanical dogs, smartwatches, snowflake lights, robots, and other items. Over 95% of children can learn, with the youngest being only four and a half years old.

Despite the appeal of these courses, many parents have reported a poor experience. Some parents complained that the so-called corporate tours were just classes held in idle factory buildings; others said their children couldn't understand the course content, and all the brain-computer interface devices were just toys; some parents enrolled their children in AI brain-computer interface innovation camps, where the children experienced robotic hands and played games with AI, but the content was too simple and there was little substantial learning.

In summary, the AI-based learning programs on the market include those centered around exploration with renowned companies, immersive product experiences, general AI courses, hands-on production, university-based training, and AI+industry integration. Jiang Bo, a professor at the Shanghai Institute of Intelligent Education at East China Normal University, stated that good learning programs should first and foremost have clear content design and teaching objectives, guiding students to grasp principles and solve problems.

Jiang Bo: Study tours, also known as inquiry-based learning, involve researching and solving a problem or exploring a phenomenon. First, there must be clear, achievable goals for students. Second, the content design is crucial; the entire study tour needs to address one or more real-world problems. Problem-driven inquiry is a key aspect of the content design. It's not about simply sending students to large factories to visit exhibits; rather, it's about combining theoretical and practical courses to achieve the learning objectives.

In some short videos and live streams, many bloggers showcase their children's AI learning achievements, including stories like "9-year-old daughter earned 80,000 yuan in 5 days using AI" and "8-year-old child leveraged 2 million yuan in investment." Under the "learning" topic on these platforms, many parents frankly stated that they need to help their children keep up with the pace of AI. Yuan Bo, chief engineer of the Zhongguancun New Infrastructure Super-Interconnected Industry Innovation Alliance, said that while parents should value AI awareness, they should also be wary of investing too much in ineffective learning.

Yuan Bo: We are now in an era of rapid technological iteration, and parents, from their own perspective, may feel that their children will face greater challenges in the future. Some irresponsible self-media outlets amplify this "reward" to an extreme. Understanding AI is necessary; AI research is essentially an upgrade of traditional research. The main issue is whether parents' anxiety will lead them to amplify their own behavior. Investing large sums of money in ineffective study tours for their children is something to be wary of.

Jiang Bo, a professor at the Shanghai Institute of Intelligent Education at East China Normal University, reminds parents to respect their children's developmental patterns, cultivate their scientific cognition and AI skills in daily life, choose programs that are commensurate with their children's cognitive level, and avoid blindly enrolling them.

Jiang Bo: A better approach is for parents to create an environment where they themselves possess a certain level of AI literacy, focusing on teaching children to identify problems in real-world situations and exploring together how to use AI to solve them. Long-term, immersive learning often yields better results. Therefore, it's crucial to consider the child's current cognitive level and avoid exceeding their existing understanding.

Experts recommend building children's metacognitive abilities before they are exposed to AI tools. Rather than focusing on specific technical tools, cultivating children's adaptability in the age of artificial intelligence and their intrinsic motivation for continuous learning is more important.

Jiang Bo: Many opinions are now saying, "AI is here, knowledge is useless," but I think the opposite is true. The more powerful AI becomes, the greater the demands on people's cognitive and metacognitive abilities. Numerous empirical studies both domestically and internationally have found that premature and inappropriate use of AI can significantly deprive students of their cognitive and metacognitive abilities. Currently, the entry barrier to AI is very low; children can easily learn it as long as they have some basic knowledge. However, it's still necessary to solidify these fundamental skills for children. (Source: China National Radio)