Applied AI summer school
Date and time:
10.08.2026—21.08.2026
Topics:
Introduction to AI, AI & Ethics, AI & Law, AI & Society, AI & Security, NLP & LLM, AI & Sustainability, AI in ensuring the Digital Society resilience, AI & Human interaction, AI & Agents, Machine learning, Innovating Public Services with AI, The Role of the State in Technological Revolutions.
Daily Structure & Methodology:
Three daily 90-minute lectures + seminars, where every session immediately applies them via different activities; iterative demos and feedback loops; the program includes a cultural/holiday day and culminates in team pitches to jury.
Group Work Focus:
Mixed international teams will choose a real-life problem. You will produce problem framing, ethics/safety checklist, model prototype or prompt/agent workflow, evaluation plan, and a pitch with Q&A.
Date | Topic | Description | Activities/Assignments |
Week 1 – Day 1: Kickoff & foundations | |||
10.08.26 09:00-10:30 | Keynote: Introduction to AI | Lecture | |
10.08.26 10:45-13:00 | Socialization & group formation. Icebreakers, campus tour and forming international teams. | Lectures & Seminars | |
10.08.26 13:45-15:15 | AI & Society | Lectures & Seminars | |
Week 1 – Day 2: Core techniques I | |||
11.08.26 09:00-10:30 | Lecture 1: Machine Learning | Lectures & Seminars | |
11.08.26 10:45-12:15 | Lecture 2: NLP & LLM | Lectures & Seminars | |
11.08.26 13:45-15:15 | Lecture 3: Innovating Public Services with AI | Lectures & Seminars | |
Week 1 - Day 3: Agents & interaction | |||
12.08.26 09:00-10:30 | Lecture 1: AI & Agents | Lectures & Seminars | |
12.08.26 10:45-12:15 | Lecture 2: AI & Human Interaction | Lectures & Seminars | |
12.08.26 13:45-15:15 | Lecture 3: AI & Ethics | Lectures & Seminars | |
Week 1 - Day 4: Rules, risks & innovation | |||
13.08.26 09:00-10:30 | Lecture 1: AI & Law | Lectures & Seminars | |
13.08.26 10:45-12:15 | Lecture 2: AI & Security | Lectures & Seminars | |
13.08.26 13:45-15:15 | Lecture 3: The Role of the State in Technological Revolutions | Lectures & Seminars | |
Week 1 - Day 5: Sustainability & resilience | |||
14.08.26 09:00-10:30 | Lecture 1: AI & Sustainability | Lectures & Seminars | |
14.08.26 10:45-12:15 | Lecture 2: AI in ensuring the Digital Society resilience | Lectures & Seminars | |
14.08.26 13:45-15:15 | Group work: Current concept presentations | Applied/Immersive Activities | Students will give an overview of the current state of their project. |
Week 2 - Day 1: Core techniques II | |||
17.08.26 09:00-10:30 | Lecture 1: NLP & LLM | Lectures & Seminars | |
17.08.26 10:45-12:15 | Lecture 2: Machine Learning | Lectures & Seminars | |
17.08.26 13:45-15:15 | Lecture 3: AI & Security | Lectures & Seminars | |
Week 2 – Day 2: Safety | |||
18.08.26 09:00-10:30 | Lecture 1: AI & Society | Lectures & Seminars | |
18.08.26 10:45-12:15 | Lecture 2: AI & Security | Lectures & Seminars | |
18.08.26 13:45-15:15 | Lecture 3: Group work: Current concept presentations | Applied/Immersive Activities | Students will give an overview of the current state of their project. |
Week 2 – Day 3: Presentation skills | |||
19.08.26 09:00-10:30 | Lecture 1: Pitch training & Coaching | Lectures & Seminars | |
19.08.26 10:45-12:15 | Teamwork: Pitch Content Finalization. Final check on all presentation content, ensuring data is supported and recommendations are clearly articulated. | Applied/Immersive Activities | |
Week 2 – Day 4: National holiday / cultural day | |||
20.08.26 | National holiday! Time for cultural exploration. We can suggest options, like a visit to Open-Air museum to learn about historic Estonia. Or Vabamu for more recent events. You are also welcome to go on a day trip to Helsinki, Pärnu or Tartu. | Self-learning | |
Week 2 – Day 5: Pitch & present | |||
21.08.26 09:00-13:00 | Final project presentations. Each team pitches their idea (15 min presentation + 10 min Q&A) to a panel of experts and peers. | Lectures & Seminars | |
13:00-14:00 | Wrap-up, Reflections & Graduation Ceremony. (Certificates and program closing remarks). | Applied/Immersive Activities | Program Conclusion. Formal closing and celebration. |
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
1. Explain key AI paradigms (ML, NLP/LLMs, agents) and their limits using real examples.
2. Apply ML workflows and justify metric choices for a given use case.
3. Design and prototype an LLM- or agent-based workflow with basic guardrails and evaluation steps.
4. Analyze human–AI interaction needs and iterate a simple UX that supports human-in-the-loop decisions.
5. Evaluate ethical risks (bias, transparency, accountability) and document mitigations for their project.
6. Interpret core legal constraints (data/IP/liability) and prepare a brief compliance and data-governance note.
7. Identify security threats (e.g., prompt-injection, data leakage) and construct a minimal risk register & hardening plan.
8. Assess environmental impacts of their approach and recommend at least two sustainability improvements.
9. Compare societal impacts across sectors and propose a resilience workflow for a digital public service.
10. Synthesize a value proposition and deliver a concise, evidence-backed pitch (with Q&A) for a public or private use case.
Price per participant is 1200 euros.
Price includes:
- Accommodation in twin room with other participants;
- Lunch in the canteen on 9 program days;
- Tallinn public transport card valid for unlimited use during the program;
Accommodation is nearby TalTech campus, accessible with public transport.