What happens when you give 15 Transition Year students a real-world problem, a little creative thinking and a healthy dose of AI? Add a pitching stage, a room full of startup founders and business leaders, and you’ve got the makings of something rather B!G.
In October, The B!G Idea teamed up with BrightBeam to bring AI4TY Thinking B!G to students at Scoil Muire agus Pádraig, a DEIS school in Swinford, Co. Mayo. The mission? Think creatively, tackle problems close to home and discover how AI can help turn good ideas into even better ones.
First, the students got stuck into a hands-on workshop at school, identifying community challenges and developing their own solutions. Only then did AI come in, not as a magic answer machine, but as a thinking partner to help test, challenge and sharpen their ideas. (Because even ChatGPT needs a bit of supervision!)
The following week, the students took their ideas to West X West, swapping the classroom for the stage and pitching live to a room of startups, business leaders and investors. No pressure, then!
And they absolutely rose to the challenge. Every student surveyed at the end felt ready to pitch, while one summed up the experience perfectly: “Public speaking is fun.” Who knew!!
But the B!G wins went beyond brave pitching. By the end of the pilot, confidence had increased across all 13 measures surveyed. Positive responses jumped from 81% to 97%, confidence in using AI safely rose from 80% to 100%, and the number of students feeling excited about AI nearly doubled.
The biggest takeaway? Creative thinking comes first. AI comes second. When young people learn to question technology, use it responsibly and trust their own ideas, they’re better equipped for a future that’s changing at an unprecedented speed.
A B!G thank you to BrightBeam, the West X West team, ATU and ATU Mentors, Scoil Muire agus Pádraig and, of course, the brilliant students who got stuck in and backed their ideas.
This is just the beginning. Here’s to bringing AI4TY to more young people across Ireland – and giving the next generation even more reasons to think B!G!
