AlDhabi AlMheiri Launches the World's First AI Academy for Children - Built by a Child, for Children "Technology shouldn't belong only to adults. Children can understand it, shape it, and lead its future- if we just let them in."
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In an inspiring achievement that has captured international attention, 10-year-old Emirati changemaker AlDhabi AlMheiri has launched the first-ever artificial intelligence (AI) academy created specifically for children, designed and led entirely by a child. The academy, which targets learners aged 7 to 13, represents a bold leap forward in youth empowerment and educational innovation, and it all comes from the heart and vision of one of the UAE's youngest pioneers.
The initiative was born out of AlDhabi's journey through the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Through these programs, she immersed herself in global educational conversations about the future of knowledge and technology and turned that exposure into action. What began as personal growth evolved into a powerful project, a digital learning platform that makes artificial intelligence accessible, ethical, and exciting for children around the world.
As a proud member of the UN's SDG Publishers Compact, AlDhabi aligned her academy with key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), placing global impact at the core of her mission. Her platform directly addresses Goal 4: Quality Education, providing free AI learning paths, interactive projects, and adaptive support to promote digital literacy. Through dedicated "Girls in AI" workshops, she advances Goal 5: Gender Equality, encouraging equal access to technology and leadership for girls. She also tackles Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities, offering tailored resources for children with additional needs, while integrating sustainability-themed challenges that contribute to Goal 13: Climate Action. Most importantly, she fosters Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals by collaborating with publishers and educators who share her commitment to future-focused, inclusive learning.
What sets this AI academy apart isn't just its content, it's the childlike clarity and warmth in its delivery. AlDhabi explains that she intentionally avoided rigid, academic formats. Instead, she created something fun, visual, and full of heart. "I didn't want my lessons to sound too formal," she says. "So I used simple language, friendly cartoon characters, and examples that children actually relate to." Her 20-lesson program includes short videos, printable worksheets, and project-based activities that turn complex concepts into enjoyable discoveries. Children learn not only what AI is and how it works, but also the values that must guide its use , honesty, privacy, fairness, and responsibility.
The platform takes children on a journey that's both educational and ethical, showing them how to distinguish between helpful and harmful uses of technology. AlDhabi's mission isn't to turn every child into an AI engineer, it's to ensure that no child grows up digitally illiterate in a world run by algorithms. By embedding child data protection policies, requiring parental consent, and maintaining transparent privacy standards, the academy also stands as a model for safe and ethical digital learning.
But there's more: this AI journey doesn't stop at understanding how machines work. AlDhabi has gone further by incorporating entrepreneurship modules into her curriculum. Children are encouraged to think creatively, solve real-life problems, and even design their own mini-projects , planting the seeds of a mindset that sees every challenge as an opportunity. "I want kids to feel like creators, not just consumers," she says. "They can build, they can lead, and they can start young."
These efforts are no surprise from a girl who holds four Guinness World Records, including the youngest publisher of a bilingual book, the youngest publisher of a book series, and the youngest columnist in both a newspaper and a magazine. She is also the recipient of the Princess Diana Award for humanitarian service and has earned the "50 from the Future" award by the UAE Ministry of Economy, recognizing her as one of the country's most promising future leaders.
Beyond these accolades, AlDhabi is also a certified AI engineer by IBM with 163 hours of training, a certified international trainer from the Global Academy for Training & Development (GATD) in the UK, and a graduate of executive education from NYU Abu Dhabi. She also completed a prestigious entrepreneurship fellowship at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., supported by the U.S. mission to the UAE. And through her publishing house, Rainbow Chimney, she leads educational and storytelling initiatives that have reached children in the UAE and beyond.
None of this, she says, would have been possible without her family. Her younger siblings, Saeed and AlMaha, have followed in her footsteps, each with their own published works and Guinness records, proving that an inspired household is the soil where great legacies grow. "A strong family," she adds, "builds strong leaders."
As she reflects on her academy, AlDhabi's message to the world is clear:
"Technology shouldn't belong only to adults. Children can understand it, shape it, and lead its future- if we just let them in."
From the UAE to the world, AlDhabi AlMheiri is not only learning from the future - she's building it.
Learn more or enroll your child today at www.ailearning.ae
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