AI for Good 2.0: Meet the creator

AI is transforming the way we live, learn and work. For the next generation to thrive, they need more than the ability to use technology - they need the confidence and skills to understand it, question it and create alongside it.

That’s the vision behind AI for Good 2.0, our new free, project-based AI computing course where learners design and build AI-powered apps to tackle real-world challenges.

Created by educator, digital curriculum and STEM specialist Jennifer Talbot, AI for Good 2.0 has been designed around the realities of today’s classrooms - helping teachers to confidently introduce AI while giving students the skills, creativity and agency to use technology for good.

As Jenny puts it:

“Young people are already using AI. This course is about helping them understand how it works and how it affects people. Students need space to explore systems shaping their world, including where they can cause harm.”

AI for Good 2.0 wasn’t created in isolation. Jenny worked closely with Apps for Good CEO Natalie Moore, our Education, Impact and Marketing teams, educators, Fellows and the wider Apps for Good community to shape the course we’re proud to have launched. Building on the success of our previous computing courses and informed by extensive educator feedback, it represents the next evolution of our approach.

By listening to teachers and understanding the challenges they face, the team created a course that reflects what educators told us they needed: greater flexibility, practical resources and engaging ways to introduce AI into the classroom.

For Jenny, that meant creating opportunities for young people to experience what computing can really offer.

“Too many students still leave computing before they have seen what they could do with it. Just as importantly, they need the chance to build technology around problems they genuinely care about, in a way that excites and empowers them. For that to happen, teachers need classroom-ready resources that help them teach AI with confidence, whether they are Computing specialists or not.”

Jenny brings 18 years' experience across the EdTech sector, helping schools, colleges and educators make computing and STEM education more accessible, engaging and meaningful. She developed Jam Coding's Bespoke Curriculum, is a founding director of Cyber Quest CIC, a community interest company dedicated to bridging the digital divide and widening access to digital skills and opportunities, and serves as the North West Regional Community Leader for Computing at School.

Jenny's passion for using technology to remove barriers and unlock the potential of every learner shone through from the outset, making her a natural choice to lead the development of AI for Good 2.0. Her commitment to ensuring all young people have opportunities to build their confidence and skills, fulfil their potential and access meaningful opportunities for the future closely aligns with Apps for Good's mission. She is also an active voice in conversations around AI education, safeguarding and responsible AI use, including as a judge at the BRILLIANT Festival in Liverpool.

Working with Apps for Good has also helped shape Jenny's own future career path. As she puts it:

"You've changed my career path to one where I will now only work with a company if the work I do can be accessed by students with no barrier of cost."

Drawing on Jenny’s experience as an educator and her understanding of the wider education and technology landscape, AI for Good 2.0 was designed to meet the needs of teachers - providing flexible, practical resources that work across different settings and support varying levels of confidence with technology.

From the outset, adaptability was central to Jenny’s approach:

“Teachers know their learners best, so it was really important that they could download the resources, adapt them to suit their teaching style and setting, and choose from a wide range of resources rather than being expected to follow one rigid route.”

The result is a flexible, modular course designed to fit into any school timetable – whether delivered in curriculum time, enrichment sessions, clubs or as a short introduction to AI and ethics.

Teachers are supported throughout with ready-to-use resources, CPD and guidance, while students benefit from a range of support formats, including video and written guides, as they explore challenges, create solutions and use technology to make a positive impact.

And importantly, Jenny wanted AI education to reach beyond the Computing classroom:

“A PSHE teacher, form tutor or enrichment lead should be able to pick it up and feel confident delivering it with the support provided. I want a Head of Year to be just as excited about this course as the Head of Computing!”

As with all Apps for Good courses, AI for Good 2.0 is available free of charge thanks to the important funding and support we receive from partners such as Google, BNY and Lego.

At the heart of AI for Good 2.0 is student agency and skills development. Through a project-based approach, learners explore how AI works - including topics such as bias, ethics and responsible use - before designing and building their own AI-powered apps to tackle social action challenges that matter to them.

For Jenny, this approach is about changing what young people think computing is – and who it is for.

“Students who think ‘computing isn’t for me’ may simply never have had the opportunity to experience how creative computing can be.”

Rather than learning technical skills in isolation, students use them to develop ideas around problems they genuinely care about. They work collaboratively, communicate their ideas and build functional apps, developing technical skills alongside problem-solving, creativity, teamwork and communication.

As Jenny explains:

“Project-based learning gives students a reason to use technology rather than learning technical skills in isolation. I want learners to realise that computing can connect with the things they care about, whatever their interests or previous experience of the subject.”

With the choice of coding or AI-assisted (vibe) coding pathways, students can explore different approaches to app development while building the confidence to see themselves as creators of technology.

Throughout the journey, learners also gain real-world insight through industry engagement opportunities, culminating in the chance to present their ideas and launch their apps to panels of industry professionals through our annual Showcase competition.

By putting purpose at the centre of learning, AI for Good 2.0 empowers learners to not only understand AI, but to use it responsibly, solve problems that matter and create positive change.

AI is developing incredibly quickly, so designing a course that can keep pace was a key consideration for Jenny.

“One of the most important decisions was not to build the course around one particular AI model or tool.”

Instead, students develop an understanding of how AI works and explore its positive and negative impacts before learning how it can be used responsibly to solve real-world problems. They also develop transferable skills such as effective prompting and critical thinking that can be applied across different AI models, including technologies that may not exist yet.

The modular structure also means the course can evolve alongside changes to the national curriculum and emerging issues in AI. New examples, case studies and resources can be introduced without having to redesign the entire learning journey.

As Jenny explains:

“Future-proofing the course doesn’t involve trying to predict exactly what technology will look like in five years. Instead it’s about giving teachers something they can continue to use and adapt, while giving students the confidence and transferable skills they will need for a rapidly changing digital world.”

The course has been designed with both teachers and students in mind. As an educator herself, Jenny made sure the challenges teachers face were front of mind from the outset:

“For teachers, the course offers an adaptable, engaging unit of work, a wide range of ready-to-use resources and support that saves planning time, while helping them feel confident teaching AI safely and effectively.

For students, I think the excitement comes from the idea that they can genuinely use AI to change the world around them. There’s something incredibly powerful about giving young people the space to be ambitious, to be innovative and to realise that their ideas have value. They could create something that hasn’t been done before, and I want them to come away believing that they have the skills, creativity and confidence to shape the future of technology.”

Access AI for Good 2.0 now and discover how your students can design, build and launch their own AI-powered apps.