AI Internships for High School Students: A Comprehensive Guide

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming our world, becoming an increasingly important field with applications across various industries. For high school students eager to gain experience and delve into this exciting domain, AI internships offer invaluable opportunities. These programs, offered by tech companies, research institutions, and universities, provide hands-on experience, skill development, and a competitive edge for college applications. This article explores the landscape of AI internships for high school students, highlighting top programs and providing guidance on how to prepare a strong application.

Why AI Internships Matter

In today's world, businesses are realizing just how important AI can be to them. Becoming familiar with AI and developing a skill set can be immensely beneficial. Artificial intelligence provides advantages such as automating repetitive tasks and processes, reducing human error, and can also help perform perilous or risky tasks. However, it’s not as though AI will completely replace all human workers. In fact, humans are still needed to help understand how to effectively augment AI and also make sense of the outcomes of the tasks that AI is performing. Therefore, we live in a world where knowledge of AI is more important than ever.

Participating in AI internships is a great way to boost your profile for college applications, making your application stand out. Internship experiences will deepen your understanding of concepts in AI and prepare you for future academic and career endeavors in STEM.

What to Expect in an AI Internship

In an AI internship, you can expect to learn and use coding skills to solve problems, which also means that you’ll likely have to use math frequently as well. You can also expect to learn from professionals or faculty who are well-versed in developments with AI, so don’t hesitate to ask them questions and dive further into whatever it is that you’re learning!

Whether you’re interested in a career as a software engineer, AI researcher, data scientist, or robotics engineer, you’ll find an exciting internship opportunity.

Top AI Internship Programs for High School Students

Here's a curated list of AI internships and research programs designed for high school students, offering diverse experiences and opportunities to explore the world of AI:

AI Internship Program by Veritas AI: This 8-week program, founded and run by Harvard graduate students, allows students to work with VC-backed startups on real-world AI/ML projects. Students collaborate with mentors from top institutions and companies, gaining real-world exposure to a career in the field, networking opportunities, and a letter of completion. The cost is $2,490, and eligibility is open to high school students with prior AI/ML experience or completion of a Veritas AI program.
The Stanford Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and Imaging (AIMI) - Summer Research Internship: This virtual, two-week program offers a foundation in AI and its impact on healthcare. Interns attend lectures on AI in healthcare and participate in research projects under the guidance of Stanford AI research engineers. Virtual Career Lunch and Learns with guest speakers provide career exploration opportunities. Summer Research interns must be high school students over the age of 14 by the start of the program and California residents. There is no cost to participate.
Summer High School Internship Program at MIT Lincoln Laboratory: This program provides a unique opportunity for rising seniors in the New England area. Students are paired with Laboratory staff mentors to complete projects and learn technical and interpersonal skills. AI-related projects explore machine learning and signal processing for national security technologies. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, be local high school rising seniors, and be 16 years of age before the start date.
Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP) High School Internships: With locations in almost every state, AEOP offers a chance to work one-on-one with a university researcher or Department of Defense (DoD) scientist mentor on research projects. Interns gain exposure to high-tech equipment and work with professional scientists and engineers. Stipends are provided, but amounts vary by location. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent legal residents.
NASA and UT Austin’s STEM Enhancement in Earth Science (SEES) Summer High School Intern Program: This program offers virtual and on-site options in Austin, TX. Interns complete virtual distance learning activities and work with NASA subject matter experts. The 11th-grade residential internship is for two weeks, while the 10th-grade internship is for one week. Applicants must be current high school Sophomores or Juniors who have not worked as a SEES intern previously, must be 16 years old by July 1, and must be US citizens. The program is free and unpaid, though both on-site and virtual interns will receive a NASA certificate of completion upon completion of the internship.
Microsoft’s High School Discovery Program: Located in Redmond, WA, and Atlanta, GA, this program allows high school graduating seniors to explore AI applications in a leading tech company. Interns work in small teams to complete projects and gain exposure to Software Engineering, PM, and UX Design disciplines. Interns are paid a competitive wage that varies based on the location. Open to high school graduating seniors who live within 50 miles of Redmond, Washington, or Atlanta, Georgia, and must have completed pre-calculus or an equivalent course.
Meta Summer Academy: Located in Menlo Park, CA, this program provides a stipend to students who participate in coding projects involving machine learning and deep learning while receiving mentorship from Meta professionals. Students work for 30 hours per week, exploring the technical and ethical considerations of AI and data usage.
University of New Hampshire’s HighTech Bound: This paid summer internship program in Durham, NH, is for rising high school seniors interested in technology. Interns gain practical experience in network technologies and AI through a 4-week experience, collaborating in an advanced computer lab and working on team projects that aim to innovate AI integration. Applicants must be New Hampshire residents.
Spark Summer Mentorship Program (SPARK SMP): Located in the Greater Seattle area, WA, or virtually, SparkSMP offers students the chance to apply concepts in machine learning, artificial intelligence, and data visualization to real-world scenarios. Stipends are based on the project. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents and can work for 40 hours/week for 8-12 weeks.
Texas Tech University’s Anson L. Clark Scholars Program: This program allows high school students to gain research experience under the mentorship of Texas Tech faculty. The program offers the flexibility to incorporate AI and its applications within computer science, mechanical engineering, or electrical and computer engineering. Applicants must be at least 17 years of age by the program start date, and should graduate in 2024 or 2025. Citizen or Permanent Resident.
NIST Summer High School Intern Program: This program is for students who have finished their junior or senior year of high school and demonstrate an interest in scientific research. Interns work with NIST staff scientists and engineers on a specific research topic, with options in the Information Technology Lab for those interested in AI and computer science. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, be juniors or seniors in high school during the application period, and have a minimum GPA of 3.0.
Ladder Internships (AI Track): Ladder Internships offers high school students the opportunity to intern with startups and nonprofits across the world in a virtual setup in a field of their interest. As a Ladder intern, you choose the field you wish to work in from a wide range of industries, including technology, machine learning, AI, computer science, finance, environmental science, sustainability, business, marketing, healthcare, medicine, media, journalism, and more. You will work on projects that contribute to the startup or nonprofit’s larger mission and present your work at the end of the program. Students who can work for 10-20 hours/week for 8-12 weeks are eligible to apply. Open to high school students, undergraduates, and gap year students! Financial assistance is available.
NLM Data Science and Informatics (DSI) Scholars Program: This internship offered by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) focuses on the application of data science innovation in the medical field. This internship, spanning 8 to 12 weeks, provides students with the opportunity to work closely with a research mentor on a computational research project in biological sciences. Be at least 17 years of age by June 15, 2024. college (including community college), university, or professional school (e.g., medical, dental, pharmacy) OR be accepted into an accredited college, university, or professional program for fall 2024. Have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.2 or higher on a 4.0 scale

Additional AI Internship Opportunities

EDIT ML Summer Internship Program: The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (Emerging Diagnostic and Investigative Technologies; EDIT) Machine Learning program has been developing, validating, and scaling artificial intelligence technologies that aim to improve clinical efficiency and patient outcomes. If you’re interested in how AI impacts healthcare then this is the right internship for you. Interns can develop skills in R, Python, and high-performance computing, communicate their findings to a clinical research audience, and gain experience in scientific writing. Moreover, through a series of lectures/seminars, guided projects, and IRB supported basic research, interns develop algorithms to explore topics such as cancer detection, gigapixel image manipulation, text prediction, amongst many others. All high school students with a background in computer science are eligible to apply.
Harvard Computer Society AI Summer Bootcamp: This 5-day intensive program is organized by Harvard Computer Society, a student-run organization at Harvard. The program collects 20+ years of AI research experience from instructors and will cover the topics at the cutting edge of AI/ML research at Harvard. The curriculum stays up to date with the latest developments in generative AI, computer vision, and reinforcement learning. The Introductory Summer Program is designed for high school students comfortable with Python and rigorous mathematical reasoning, though no AI/ML experience is required. The Advanced Summer Program requires comfort with AI/ML or some familiarity with PyTorch, as this track will dedicate more time toward independent research projects. All high school students with some programming skills in Python are eligible to apply. Limited financial aid available
UT Dallas Intensive Research Internship in CS: Hosted by UT Dallas, this internship will typically meet in-person for multiple days per week, and it's expected that each intern work 20-40 hours per week but this can vary greatly depending on the project or lab. Specific lab topics include things like computer vision and multimodal computing, AI safety, NLP, and many others. Rising juniors and seniors with background knowledge in CS are eligible to apply.
UCLA Computer Science Summer Institute - Generative AI: In this hands-on institute, students will focus on generative AI for texts, which is basically what ChatGPT does. You’ll begin to understand core concepts of Generative AI, including neural networks, deep learning, and natural language processing, through interactive lectures, workshops, and collaborative projects. High schoolers above the age of 15 are eligible to apply.
NYU Arise Program: The seven-week program includes a high level, 5-week authentic research experience in participating NYU faculty labs, mentoring in that placement by a graduate or postdoctoral student, as well as two weeks of workshops, college advising and other activities designed to prepare students for the college application process. Rising juniors and seniors living in New York City as their permanent residence are eligible to apply.
Berkeley Artificial Intelligence Research Lab (BAIR) High School Summer Program: At the BAIR Lab, students in this program participate in daily guest lectures and activities guided by BAIR Lab researchers. The opportunity is designed for and offered to students who have had limited access to STEM mentors and experiences outside of school who may be the first generation in their family to attend college, and who demonstrate financial need. Rising 10-12th graders in the Bay Area are eligible to apply.
NYU Tandon Machine Learning Program: NYU Tandon's 2 week Summer Program for Machine Learning introduces students to the computer science, data analyses, mathematical techniques, and logic that drive the fields of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI). Currently enrolled in 9,10 or 11th grade and have successfully completed Algebra 2 are eligible to apply.
Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP): The nationally recognized Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP) offers strong research experiences for high school and undergraduate students. Interns for in-person, remote, or hybrid internships in computer labs must be 15 years or older by June 18, 2024. Interns for "wet-lab" in-person or hybrid internships must be 16 or older by June 18, 2024.

Crafting a Successful Application

In the application process, internship programs typically ask you to submit written or video essays explaining your interest in the AI or computer science field. Some internships may strongly encourage applicants to have some coding background or proficiency in Algebra, but unless it’s explicitly stated as a must-have, don’t let that stop you from applying and expressing your interest.

Writing a Stand-Out Essay

In the essay portion of the application, it’s critical that you express your curiosity for the field and your desire to learn. Applicants can stand out from the rest by having clear reasons for why they’re interested in the internship and why they’re excited by AI.

Networking and Professional Development

We encourage you to also learn as much as you can from your managers and fellow interns. They can be great resources for helping you navigate AI in the future and may even have insights into which colleges have the best programs! Beyond just helping you find the right college to attend, the relationships you develop through your internship can also allow others to connect you with other internships/research as you progress in your college degree.

Turning Your Internship into a Career Opportunity

The value you gain from an internship doesn’t just stop after your internship ends! The mentors you meet during your internship can be lifelong mentors as you continue to navigate AI. In the final weeks of your internship tell your managers that you’d love to stay in touch and continue to learn from them. Get their contact info and follow up with them so that they can stay up to date on your progress and continue to provide you with guidance.

Read also: Your Guide to Finance Internships

The Rising Importance of AI Internships

AI has quietly become a scarcity signal in elite admissions. According to recent Common App and NACAC reporting, CS- and AI-adjacent applications to selective universities have risen significantly in recent admission cycles.

Admissions officers value proof of skills and accomplishments, including: