Storybook
Ages 8 to 14
Write and illustrate original stories with AI as a creative partner.
- Length
- 8 hours
- Tuition
- $560 $800
Home/AI classes in the Bay Area
AI classes for kids & teens in the Bay Area
In-person, small-group courses where students learn to direct AI rather than be directed by it, and finish with something real they built themselves.
Most AI programs for kids hand over a tool and call it a class. Ours is built around judgment: students plan before they prompt, and spend most of their time deciding whether what came back is actually any good.
- Ages
- 8 to 18
- Format
- In person, weekends
- Group size
- Capped at 10 students
Three courses, by age and by what your child makes
Every course ends with a finished thing your child can open and show someone. Pick by age first, then by what they already care about.
Vibe Coding
Ages 12 to 18
Build simple apps and websites by learning to direct AI, not just use it.
- Length
- 10 hours
- Tuition
- $700 $1,000
Game Design
Ages 12 to 18
Come up with an original game idea and guide AI to build it, then iterate until it's actually fun to play.
- Length
- 12 hours
- Tuition
- $840 $1,200
Where classes meet
Areas we currently run in
- South San Francisco
- Stanford
Somewhere else in the Bay Area? Tell us where you are.
What Bay Area students have actually made
Not mockups. Finished storybooks you can read in your browser, working apps and websites, and playable games. Each one was built by a student in one of these cohorts.
What Bay Area families and students say
Recommendations left by neighbours on our Nextdoor page, quoted as written so you can check them against the original.
“What I especially appreciate about AI Director Lab is that the teachers don't teach kids to simply use AI to do the work for them. Instead, they teach them to think first - what do you want to create? What do you want it to look like or do? Then they learn how to express their creativity through effective prompts, evaluate what the AI produces, and refine the results. That thought process is what I value most. AI is being taught as a tool to support their thinking and creativity, not replace it. The kids are learning how to use the technology thoughtfully and intentionally. The teachers are patient, encouraging, and great at guiding the kids while still giving them space to think independently.”
“My 14-year-old daughter joined the Vibe Coding Camp, and in less than 10 hours, she wrote a product requirements document, developed a fully functional choose-your-own-adventure game, incorporated user feedback, refined her game, and demoed it to other parents and campers. I really liked the structure of the camp. Avery and her team gave each camper individual attention while encouraging them to create something original rather than simply follow a template. My daughter went into the camp skeptical of AI, but the experience changed her perspective.”
“I took a class on vibe coding recently, and it honestly changed how I look at AI. It made me realize that AI is really just another tool we can use to bring our ideas and creativity to life. The ideas are still ours, AI just helps us do more with them.”
Who teaches in the Bay Area
Both co-founders teach. They are working AI practitioners, not a rotating bench of part-time tutors.
Avery Li
Co-founder
Avery leads AI Director Lab with a decade of experience in data science, machine learning, and AI product work. She has led data and AI teams at Asana, Twitter, and Glassdoor, and studied math and statistics at the University of Chicago. She started the lab to help students learn how to guide AI with clarity and judgment.
LinkedIn
Dee Bao
Co-founder
Dee is a software engineer at Arista Networks and an educator focused on making computing approachable. She studied Computer Science at UC Berkeley, is pursuing her Master’s in Computer Science at Stanford, and has built software in industry while teaching and mentoring CS students. She co-founded AI Director Lab to bring real engineering practice into hands-on learning for students.
LinkedInBay Area parent FAQ
Questions specific to taking a class with us in the Bay Area. Course-level questions are answered on each course page. Anything else, email us.
Which Bay Area cities do you serve?
We run classes in person across the Bay Area, currently South San Francisco and Stanford. There is no fixed campus: we set each cohort's venue once the group forms, based on where the enrolled families actually live.
How far will we have to travel?
Less than you might expect, because the venue follows the group rather than the other way around. When families in one area enroll together, the class runs in that area. Applying early is what gives you a say in it.
Are classes in person or online?
In person, always. Students work in a room with mentors who can see their screen and step in, which is the whole reason the groups are capped at 10.
When do classes meet?
Weekends, in blocks. Storybook runs 8 hours across two weekends, Vibe Coding 10 hours across two, and Game Design 12 hours across three. Exact dates are set once a group fills.
What ages do you teach?
Ages 8 to 18 across the three courses. Storybook takes ages 8 to 14; Vibe Coding and Game Design take ages 12 to 18. The comparison above shows which is which.
Which course should we start with?
By age and by what your child already cares about. Under 12, Storybook is the entry point. For a teen who wants to build something usable, Vibe Coding; for one who would rather design a game and argue about what makes it fun, Game Design.
How much do classes cost?
Tuition is $100 per instruction hour, so a course runs $800 to $1,200 depending on length. The code DIRECT30 takes 30% off for the first 8 students who enroll.
Does my child need experience with AI or coding?
No. Every course assumes none. What students do need is a laptop, which they bring so the project and the files go home with them.
Who is actually teaching my child?
Our two co-founders, both working AI practitioners: one has led data and AI teams at Asana, Twitter, and Glassdoor; the other is a Software Engineer at Arista Networks with research published at ACM SIGMOD who formally studied game design at Stanford. Full bios are on this page.
Enrolling now for Bay Area cohorts
Groups are capped at 10 students, and dates and venue are set once a group fills. Applying early affects when and where your child's class runs.
Apply for a course