Mark Cuban is bringing artificial intelligence bootcamps to at least 18 cities across the country — including one in Houston.
The billionaire announced March 11 that the events, hosted by the Mark Cuban Foundation, will be open to high school students and will take place during the first three Saturdays in November. More locations are expected.
Applications can be submitted on the foundation's website, and all costs are covered for accepted students. Each cohort includes 20 to 25 students.
The Mark Cuban Foundation partners with local businesses to put on the bootcamps. Global digital consultancy Perficient hosted Houston's second bootcamp last fall.
Cuban — known as the longtime owner of the Dallas Mavericks, though he recently sold his majority stake — called AI an "undeniable force in all of our lives."
"While technology expands and becomes more advanced, it becomes more critical that we ensure our students are prepared when they apply for schools or jobs in the future," he said in a statement.
The bootcamps will explore AI's existing presence in society, the ethics surrounding the technology and how to maximize the abilities of technology like ChatGPT. Cuban founded the bootcamp program in 2019, committing $2 million a year later to expand it, according to the Wall Street Journal. The program encourages girls, students of color and students participating in free or reduced-cost lunch programs to apply.
Cuban holds a stake in some 200 companies, many of them thanks to his role as a celebrity investor on the hit ABC show "Shark Tank."
The cities where the bootcamps will occur are:
- Pasadena, California
- Mountain View, California
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Miami
- Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
- Atlanta
- Chicago
- Indianapolis
- Detroit
- Pontiac, Michigan
- Minneapolis
- St. Louis
- Omaha, Nebraska
- Philadelphia
- Addison, Texas
- Houston
- Plano, Texas
- Washington, D.C.
