Build a Teachable Machine Image Classifier With Your Kid

Issue 33 • March 27, 2024

Most children interact with artificial intelligence as passive consumers, playing games or asking chatbots to write stories. To prepare the next generation of leaders for an AI-driven world, they must understand how these systems actually learn. Google Teachable Machine offers a free, highly visual, and interactive way for kids aged 8 to 16 to build their very own machine learning model in under twenty minutes. By using a standard computer webcam, children can train an image classifier to recognize different objects, hand gestures, or facial expressions. This hands-on project demystifies complex computer science concepts, transforming AI from a mysterious black box into a practical tool they can control and build.

The Project: The Object Detector

This project involves building a model that can instantly distinguish between three different items: a school notebook, a favorite toy, and an empty hand. This requires no coding, no paid accounts, and no specialized hardware. All you need is a computer with a webcam and an internet connection. By guiding your child through this process, you will help them understand the fundamentals of computer vision and supervised learning.

Step 1: Setting Up the Workspace

Begin by navigating to the Google Teachable Machine website at https://teachablemachine.withgoogle.com/ . Click on the Get Started button on the homepage. You will be presented with three project options: Image Project, Audio Project, and Pose Project. Select Image Project, and then click on Standard Image Model. This opens the training interface, which is divided into three clear sections: Classes, Training, and Preview.

Step 2: Defining the Classes

Explain to your child that computers do not know what objects are until we teach them. In machine learning, these categories are called classes. By default, the interface shows Class 1 and Class 2. Click the pencil icon next to Class 1 and rename it to Notebook. Rename Class 2 to Toy. Click the Add a class button at the bottom to create a third class, and rename it to Empty Hand.