Capital One Sets title for largest AI programming lesson

Capital One launches national initiative to teach 10,000 students fundamentals of artificial intelligence at Basic TrAIning: Bot Camp in Dallas

DALLAS – April 18, 2019 – Capital One set a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for the largest Artificial Intelligence programming lesson on Wednesday, April 17, with 846 participants learning the fundamentals of Python coding language. Students from various NAF academies in Dallas Independent School District (DISD), Plano Independent School District (PISD) and Uplift Academy, along with volunteers from Capital One and Major League Hacking, came together to set the record during the Capital One Basic TrAIning: Bot Camp.

"Capital One created the Basic TrAIning curriculum in partnership with Major League Hacking to give students cutting edge resources in AI, software development and problem solving, and to introduce them to opportunities in STEAM fields during a critical period in their education," said Arjun Dugal, CTO, Financial Services at Capital One. "We're thankful for all of the students and volunteers who came out today to help us set the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title and show the world how fun and rewarding AI programming can be."

During the event, each student learned to build a Markov Chain Bot that learned to communicate like their favorite celebrity. They were then able to simulate a conversation with the celebrity through the bot. Local celebrity, Dallas Cowboys Tight End Jason Witten made a surprise appearance and spoke to students on the importance of STEAM in their future career paths.

"I am so impressed by the students and their hard work today in learning new skills in emerging tech, pushing the boundaries of their education outside the classroom," said Witten. "Trainings like these help students become better problem solvers, innovators and leaders."

The Basic TrAining: Bot Camp event launched Capital One's initiative, in partnership with Major League Hacking, to reach 10,000 students in three years with the Basic TrAIning curriculum. The free curriculum teaches students the basic building blocks to the Python coding language through bleeding-edge educational practices, such as peer-led instruction and project-based learning, along with relatable real-world use cases of AI and machine learning. The curriculum is available online at localhost.mlh.io.   

Capital One engages with community partners, such as Major League Hacking, across the region to make its Future Edge commitment come to life. Future Edge is an initiative aimed to help more Americans get the skills, tools and resources they need to succeed in the 21st century. As part of this initiative, Future Edge DFW symbolizes Capital One's commitment to make Dallas-Fort Worth a destination for top talent, spur growth as a world-renowned technology hub, and nurture the leaders of tomorrow.  

About Capital One

Capital One Financial Corporation is headquartered in McLean, Virginia. Its subsidiaries, Capital One, N.A. and Capital One Bank (USA), N. A., offer a broad spectrum of financial products and services to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients. We apply the same principles of innovation, collaboration and empowerment in our commitment to our communities across the country that we do in our business. We recognize that helping to build strong and healthy communities – good places to work, good places to do business and good places to raise families – benefits us all and we are proud to support this and other community initiatives.