HYDERABAD: Data acquisition, Python and neutral networks are few topics that students of classes 8 and 9 will be exposed to as part of the artificial intelligence ( AI ) curriculum, which many Central Board of Secondary Education ( CBSE )-affiliated city schools are set to adopt from academic year 2020-21.Early this year, the CBSE had proposed to offer AI as a skill-set to keep up with the changing technology. Following this, the CBSE recently released the AI curriculum facilitator’s handbook, which details various topics such as AI ethics, problem scoping, data acquisition, exploration and modelling. Curated by Intel, the curriculum will not only make students inquisitive but will also teach them basic tools that are required to develop AI-based solutions.For example, in Unit 1, students will be asked to prepare a dream smart home by including any gadgets or devices that they think will make their homes unique.Many city schools, such as the Jubilee Hills Public School, and Delhi Public School, Nacharam, have come forward to introduce AI as a skill-subject from next academic year. “In September, the CBSE held a training session for teachers to educate them on the new subject. Considering AI is an emerging technology, many Hyderabad schools are interested to offer it,” said Varalakshmi, principal of Jubilee Hills Public School, which also has a Atal Tinkering Lab for innovation.While welcoming the move to introduce AI as a skill subject in CBSE schools, industry experts and academicians claim that the curriculum needs to focus more on concept-based learning and not so much on technical learning.Industry experts have raised concerns over its implementation as they claim that such a subject will be restricted to urban areas. “The curriculum for AI needs more hands-on training and cannot be descriptive. Even today, many schools don’t have quality teachers to teach subjects such as Maths, let alone teachers having skillsets to teach AI in over 20,000 CBSE schools across the country,” said Tarun Ayitham, founder of Sciensation, a media platform for science communication for school students, adding that CBSE should consider that many schools may not have the resources to implement the course.