Build a Teachable Machine Image Classifier With Your Kid

Issue 43 • August 14, 2024

Introducing children to artificial intelligence can feel daunting, especially when trying to move them from passive consumers of technology to active creators. Many educational tools require complex coding skills or expensive software subscriptions.

Google's Teachable Machine offers a free, web-based alternative where kids can train a real machine learning model in minutes using a standard computer webcam. This hands-on project demystifies how computers learn to recognize objects, gestures, and patterns, providing a perfect weekend activity for busy Executives and their children.

The Project: Build a Custom Object Detector

In this activity, your child will build an image classifier that can distinguish between two different items or hand gestures. For example, they can train the computer to recognize a coffee mug versus a water bottle, or a thumbs-up versus a thumbs-down gesture.

This project requires no coding, no account creation, and no specialized hardware. All you need is a computer with a working webcam and an internet connection. By actively capturing the training data and testing the results, your child will gain a practical understanding of supervised learning.

Step 1: Set Up the Workspace

To begin, open a web browser on your computer and navigate to the official tool: Teachable Machine . Click on the Get Started button, and then select Image Project from the options. Choose the Standard Image Model .

You will see a workspace with two default categories, which are called "classes" in machine learning. Have your child rename these classes. For this guide, let us use "Class 1: Mug" and "Class 2: Bottle". If they prefer, they can use "Thumbs Up" and "Thumbs Down".

Step 2: Gather the Training Data

Now, click the Webcam button under the first class. Have your child hold the first object (for example, a coffee mug) in front of the camera.