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Stefania Druga is an AI Resident at X Moonshot Factory and a third-year Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Washington Information School, advised by Prof. Amy J. Ko in the Code & Cognition Lab. She is also affiliated with the PLSE Lab and with the Community Data Science Collective. Stefania’s research focuses on computer supported coding, smart toys, the design of AI literacy tools for families and the future of AI education. She has conducted dozens of experiments about how children interact and view smart toys and AI devices, and the importance of parents learning about these technologies with their children. Stefania is a Weizenbaum Research Fellow, an awardee of the NSF Formal Verification in the Field Grant and the Jacobs Foundation Grant. Previously, she was a LEGO Papert Fellow during her time as a master student at MIT researching with Prof. Mitch Resnick and the Scratch team.

Stefania has founded and worked on several impactful projects. One of these projects is TileCode, an app for designing, coding, and playing games directly on low cost MakeCode Arcade gaming handhelds, as well as in the web browser. The goal of TileCode is to provide a space where students can experiment and tinker with with their game ideas and learn about programing, machine learning and computation. Another project Stefania has founded is Afrimakers, which is an initiative that aims to enable African makers to use local know-how to solve local challenges like access to clean water, energy, and information. Another project Stefania has created is Cognimates, an AI education platform for building games, programing robots and training models. Stefania has created this platform as part of her master thesis at MIT Media Lab in 2018. The platform is currently being used in more than 120 countries and has over 5000 unique visitors each month. These are just three out of the many projects that Stefania has created that are making real change in the way computer programing is taught and learnt about.

In this episode we talk with Stefania about all her work and research, how to effectively teach AI literacy to children and families and why all this is so important to create a better future for humanity.