We are excited to launch this new program in Summer 2027.
Applications open in January.
In Summer 2027, we offer an immersive, two-week in-person program designed for high school students to master AI as a tool for critical thinking and cognitive empowerment. Participants will learn how to leverage Generative AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), and multimodal tools not to replace their intelligence, but to amplify their unique human voice, creativity, and problem-solving skills. The program emphasizes smart prompt architecture, metacognition, critical evaluation, and ethical AI workflows. Working alongside expert mentors and industry practitioners, students will collaborate to tackle complex, real-world challenges using advanced AI tools while applying rigorous human-in-the-loop auditing standards.
Students will emerge as savvy, discerning digital citizens with a detailed, critical AI strategy plan for their own life. They will know how to direct AI effectively, spot bias and hallucinations, protect their privacy, expand their own expertise and maintain intellectual ownership in an AI-driven world.
Lean how to use A.I. and technology with critical thinking.
Your Brain, upgraded, not replaced.
Summer 2027 Program Dates
July 26 - August 6, 2027
Age Requirement
Our program is accepting students who will be entering sophomore, junior, or senior year of high school in Fall 2027.
Technical Skills
No prior coding, computer science, or engineering experience required.
Students are required to have basic digital literacy (web navigation, cloud document management like Google Docs/Drive, basic keyboarding), an open mind for critical thinking, and a willingness to question automated outputs
Student are encouraged to submit materials to showcase how the have used A.I. and other technology in their school work and life in general. We encourage students to provide examples of how they encounter their usage of technology and their reflections and critics on using technology for various purposes.
Program Location
NYU Downtown Brooklyn Campus
Program Costs
- Application fee: $50
- Tuition: $2,945
Other fees:
- UP Service Fee: $100
- Software Fee: $100
- Summer extracurricular event fee: $100
Total tuition and fees (excluding application fee): $3,245
Additional services (if applicable):
- On-campus housing (reservation required)
- Shared Room Traditional Style (NYU Campus): $TBD/week/person
- Summer Meal Plan: 10 Meal Plan + $30 dining dollars/week: $TBD/week
- International Student Visa and Insurance
Important note: admitted students are required to make 50% of tuition and fees as a deposit to secure their seat in the program. The deposit is non-refundable due to the program's running costs.
Scholarships
Scholarship application deadline: May 31, 2027
Eligibility
- Scholarships in summer are needs-based and are only available to commuter students who are based in New York and are assessed as in financial need after NYU Bursary assessment upon the submission of scholarship application.
- Scholarship application is separate from the program application. Students who are interested and eligible for scholarships must confirm their scholarship interest on their application in order to receive an invitation for the scholarship application.
- International students or students located outside of New York are ineligible for scholarships.
The scholarship will fully or partially cover Tuition only. Students still remain responsible for paying other fees.
Scholarship Instruction:
Instructions on how to apply for scholarships are automatically emailed to students 48 hours after completing and submitting the program application. Upon NYU's assessment of the applicant's financial background, applicants will be informed by email about the scholarship decision directly by the program.
Please note that the scholarship decision is official and final when announced.
On-Campus Housing
On-campus housing is optional and available to admitted students at an additional cost. You will need to reserve housing upon the successful submission of the application.
The residence will be within a 10-minute walking distance. The location will be communicated directly to students.
Age requirement
Students must be at least at the age of 15 years old on the day of check-in. Check-in is usually on the Sunday before the program starts, unless specified.
How to reserve housing
If you would like to stay on-campus during the program, make sure to indicate so on your program application. Students will be contacted by email to complete the housing reservation.
How to Apply
Applications will open in January
Week 1: The "Upgraded" Brain (Foundations & Power User Workflows)
Each morning focuses on advanced AI literacy, prompt engineering, and metacognition lessons.* After lunch, students apply these workflows to real-world research, creative writing, analysis, and problem-solving exercises. They begin drafting their personal AI use strategy.
Week 2: The Irreplaceable Human (Real-World Capstone & Evaluation)
Teams work on a hands-on capstone project addressing a real-world community or global challenge using AI as an accelerator. Afternoons feature specialized workshops on critical evaluation, human editing, and presentation design. They refine, expand, and finalize their personal AI use strategy.
Last Day: Human-in-the-Loop" Innovation Showcase
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Class Hours
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Classes will be held Monday to Friday from 10 am to 4 pm. No classes on the weekend.
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Day 1 (WEEK 1)
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Morning: How LLMs Actually Work. Understanding pattern matching vs. reasoning, probabilistic generation, and why machines "hallucinate."
Afternoon Lab: The Un-Upgraded Benchmark. Students complete a complex analytical task with standard searching, then re-try with raw AI outputs, documenting where the AI shines and where it fails.
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Day 2
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Morning: Structured Prompt Frameworks. Mastering Role, Task, Context, and Output Constraints. Transitioning from "answer generator" to "Socratic coach, debate partner, and tutor".
Afternoon Lab: Socratic Sparring Sessions. Students use AI to stress-test an argument or essay topic, forcing the AI to challenge their assumptions rather than write for them.
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Day 3
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Morning: Context Engineering. Processing large PDFs, raw datasets, and multi-document sets using tools like Claude Artifacts and Perplexity.
Afternoon Lab: Rapid Research Dossier. Teams synthesize 3–5 dense research papers or policy reports into a 1-page executive summary, creating an audit trail of every claim.
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Day 4
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Morning: Verification Mechanics. Developing human-in-the-loop workflows to trace AI claims to primary sources and detect subtle, plausible-sounding falsehoods.
Afternoon Lab: "Find the Lie" Challenge. Students audit an intentionally hallucinated AI document, score its errors, and rewrite it with verified citation tags.
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Day 5
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Morning: The Irreplaceable Voice. Academic integrity, data privacy/hygiene, bias in training sets, and defining human intelligence and intellectual property.
Afternoon Lab: Capstone Pitch & Human-in-the-Loop Protocol. Teams form, select a real-world community problem for Week 2, and establish their team’s AI Code of Conduct and Audit Log template. They begin drafting their personal AI use strategy.
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Day 6 (Week 2)
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Morning: Root Cause Analysis with AI. Using AI to map complex social, environmental, or local challenges without taking shortcuts on problem definition.
Afternoon Lab: Strategy & Dataset Curation. Teams gather source materials, conduct initial stakeholder research, and set up custom context windows.
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Day 7
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Morning: Multimodal Tool Stack. Integrating text, visual ideation (diffusion tools), and dynamic mockups into a cohesive pitch.
Afternoon Lab: Prototyping sprint. Teams generate campaign proposals, policy briefs, or project blueprints while logging every AI prompt and human edit.
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Day 8
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Morning: Red Teaming Your Own Ideas. Using AI personas to simulate critics, opposition, and edge cases against their capstone solutions.
Afternoon Lab: Auditing & Fact-Verification. Teams execute a rigorous fact-check on their solution pitch and document their "AI vs. Human Contribution" ratio. They revise and expand their personal AI use strategy.
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Day 9
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Morning: Human Polish & Voice Retention. Ensuring final deliverables reflect human style, nuance, and emotion—stripping away robotic "AI speak."
Afternoon Lab: Dry Run Rehearsals. Teams present to instructors for critique on both the quality of the solution and the transparency of their AI audit logs.
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Day 10
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Morning: Final Rehearsal & Showcase Setup. Finalizing visual aids, printing Audit Logs, and polishing pitch decks.
Afternoon: Human-in-the-Loop Showcase & Awards.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: I have already applied to the program. When can I expect an admission decision?
Admission decisions are released on a rolling basis and typically twice a month, in the middle and at the end of each month. You will receive an email from NYU once the admission decision is released.
If you are admitted to the program, congratulations and you need to confirm your enrollment within 7 days after receiving the offer letter.
Q: What is the enrollment process and is there any deposit?
Once you submit your application, it usually takes 1-2 weeks to receive an admission decision. The decision will be communicated by email, so make sure you closely monitor the email and take the required actions.
If you decide to accept the offer and matriculate to the program, there's a 50% program fee as a deposit. The deposit amount will be deducted from the final bill which NYU Bursar will issue once you get closer to the program start day. Please note that the deposit is to secure your seat in the program and is non-refundable.
Q: How do I reserve housing?
On-campus housing is administered by NYU Housing for an additional fee. All admitted participants who indicate interest in housing in the application will receive an email with information on housing fees and how to apply.
Q: Can international students attend this program?
International students are eligible to apply for the program. As some international students need a student Visa, we highly recommend that international students apply as early as possible.
NYU Office of Global Services (OGS) is the resource hub and will provide the necessary supporting documentation to admitted students for their visa applications.
Q: When will I receive a bill for the program?
Students who accept their admission to the program will be asked to make a 50% non-refundable deposit to confirm their participation. This deposit will be deducted from their full program cost.
The remaining account balance will be released about one month before the program starts, once the registrar processes enrollment details.
Q: What is it like to live on campus residence Hall during the program?
New York City is one of the world's most vibrant, culturally rich cities, and residents of NYU's residence halls are at the center of the excitement. Whether you're living in one of the residence halls centered around Washington Square in Greenwich Village, in Brooklyn Heights, or in a residence hall located in one of the city's other bustling neighborhoods, there is an endless amount of activity.
Students will be placed at one of the Residence Halls. You can find details of all residence halls on this page. More details will be provided directly to the resident students before the program.
Q: What technology do I need to for this program? Do I need to bring a laptop?
Laptop: A working Mac, Windows, or Chromebook laptop (tablets/iPads are not recommended for core workshop tasks).
Power Supply: Laptop charger.
Audio Gear: A reliable set of headphones or earbuds with a built-in microphone for media synthesis, testing voice tools, and focused lab time.
Smartphone (Optional): A personal smartphone for testing mobile AI workflows, multi-device prompt interactions, and two-factor authentication (2FA) setups.
Q: What technical setup do I need for my computer?
Web Browser: Updated version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox installed.
Webcam & Microphone: Fully operational built-in or external webcam and microphone for testing audio/video AI interactions.
Account Registrations: Free-tier accounts created prior to Day 1 for core AI platforms (e.g., OpenAI/ChatGPT, Anthropic/Claude, Google Gemini, and Perplexity). An official list of approved platforms and login instructions will be shared before the program starts.
Security & Access: Ability to install standard browser extensions and log into cloud storage (Google Drive, Notion, or OneDrive) to save daily lab work and capstone deliverables.
Q: What materials do I need to carry for this program?
Physical Notebook & Pen: Used daily for analog mapping, ideation, offline prompt drafting, and human-in-the-loop audit notes.
Daily Essentials: A reusable water bottle, daily snacks, and any personal items needed for a full-day, on-campus schedule (10:00 AM – 4:00 PM).
Folder or Binder: To organize printed frameworks, project rubrics, reading excerpts, and audit templates provided during morning sessions.
Related Summer Programs
Coding for Game Design Summer High School Program
AI+Art Summer High School Program
Contact Us
CREATE Lab
This website includes the most up-to-date information.
If you have any further about the content about program, contact CREATE Lab. Program email to be announced shortly.
Admission and Enrollment
Most of the information should have been shared by email.
If you have technical issues with the application portal, or your admission/enrollment, contact University Program university.programs@nyu.edu with your name, NYU Net ID, Program Name (Smart AI Summer High School Program), and session dates.
Location
The program will be hosted at NYU Downtown Brooklyn. CREATE Lab, 370 Jay St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
