In an expected, but expedited fashion, AI isn’t being treated like a special skill anymore. It’s turning into a new baseline tech tool like spreadsheets, email, or Google. Employers don’t always say it during the application process, but the job market is calling for applicants to learn to work with AI or be competing against someone who can.

That’s why the new “Presidential AI Challenge” matters. This program is built around the simple idea that all students and educators can use AI to solve real problems in their own communities, and in the process, build the exact kind of competence the modern workforce is already rewarding. This effort is designed to inspire K–12 students and educators to create AI-based solutions to community challenges and build practical AI interest and competency.

When people ask, “Is AI really that big of a deal?” the most honest answer is to open your eyes and look around you. It is everywhere, and even the most technologically challenged individual has tapped into this new reality.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has repeatedly highlighted AI-driven demand in computing and data fields, including strong growth projections for “data scientists” and “computer research” roles tied directly to AI and data analysis. Global employer surveys also point to “Technology-related roles are the fastest- growing jobs in percentage terms, including Big Data Specialists, Fintech Engineers, AI…”

The Presidential AI Challenge invites K–12 students and educators to study, develop, or apply AI methods/tools to address community challenges, with separate participation tracks and categories. There are four participation categories:

• • Elementary (K–5): groups/classrooms led by an educator or community leader (with age-appropriate supervision);
  • Middle School (6–8): teams of 1–4 students plus a supervising adult;
  • High School (9–12): teams of 1–4 students plus a supervising adult; and
  • Educators: teams of 1–3 educators (including homeschool educators who can provide qualifying documentation).

What can participants get out of the program, aside from directly applicable experience that employers and the market are looking for? All compliant submissions receive a Presidential Certificate of Participation. Teams that opt into the competition can earn additional recognition, plus resources like cloud credits and other items provided by supporting organizations. National champions can receive $10,000 awards on top of certificates and resources.

Even if a team never wins a prize, the skills built are exactly what the market rewards. That’s the difference between “someone who played with AI” and “someone who can implement AI.”

If you’re a student, this is your chance to do something that looks like the future, because the reality is it is the future. If you’re an educator or community leader, you don’t have to be a software engineer to lead a team. You just need to help students pick a real problem, follow the project structure, and submit something compliant.

The market is calling for more AI implementation across every sector, and those that excel won’t be in places that fear change. That’s why this effort is so timely and helps students and educators become builders, not just spectators, in the next wave of economic growth.