Both the Shanghai International Youth Science & Technology Innovation Camp and the ‘Science & Technology Stars of Tomorrow’ Tournament were held over the days from July 16 to 21. Ms.Hongyi Xue, Middle School Head of Technology and Design, led five students to the event: Richard Huang, Jenney Cao, Sophia Huang, Martina Yang, and Amily Ju.
They presented ‘The Color of Time,’ a website that enables users to upload photos of ancient paintings or artefacts to preview how pigments age over time. The project grew out of an earlier algorithm competition, with the team’s data analysis now turned into an interactive experience.
Jenney said that the team did a great deal of early research on pigment and paper characteristics, and in the later stage, they made videos, foam boards, and brochures for the roadshow. Her literature research introduced her to the Kubelka‑Munk theory, light absorption coupling, and other unfamiliar concepts, which in turn fuelled a stronger interest in interdisciplinary studies.
Richard handled web implementation and back‑end programming. The booth was covered with feedback notes from visitors, including teachers and students from around the world, which had become the team’s most treasured ‘medal of growth.’
At the ‘Science & Technology Stars of Tomorrow’ Tournament, the team of Martina Yang, Sophia Huang, and Amily Ju were paired with another team from the United States to design a device to sort three different types of balls. “We also made decorations,” said Martina. “I built motifs featuring the Oriental Pearl Tower and Jin Mao Tower, while they painted California landmarks. After the event, we exchanged our balls as mementos of friendship.”
The ‘Global Youth Innovation-Literacy Cultivation Forum in the AI Era’ was held on July 19, with the theme ‘Cultivating Youth Innovation-Literacy in the AI Era.’ The forum focused on transformative changes in the development of talent. Ms. Hongyi Xue joined peers from multiple countries at a global educators’ roundtable.
When the discussion turned to ‘core competencies and independent thinking,’ Ms. Xue remarked: “AI can never take responsibility as humans can. That’s why we actively promote character education and service learning at our school. We always tell our students: put people first in innovation and practice, and learn to take on greater responsibility.”
During the exchange, Ms. Xue also shared insights gained from educators in other countries, since practices from diverse cultural backgrounds all point in the same direction. In an age of deep AI integration, human‑specific emotional connection, value judgments, and moral responsibility remain the bulwarks of education that must never be ‘algorithmised.’
That evening, the ‘WAIC Young LIVE’ performance was staged both on and offline. It began with an original Pao School composition, entitled Primordial Resonance: Drumming the Future. This piece merged the nationally-recognised intangible heritage of the Zhoushan Percussion Ensemble with AI music creation. The team had previously achieved excellent results in the "WAIC YOUNG AIGC Music Creation" competition, part of the 6th Yangtze River Delta Youth AI Olympic Challenge, and was therefore invited to "WAIC Young Live".
Ms. Leef Liu, Pao School Chinese Music Teacher, told the story of this co‑creation together with student Richard: “When intangible heritage meets AI, I first think of the concepts of ‘identity’ and ‘difference.’ The former refers to the root and soul of the intangible heritage, the latter its evolution and renewal through time.”
The creative process, led by Richard, went through four iterations. At first, the Suno model had no data on Zhoushan drums and could not generate any relevant elements. At the second stage, live performances were input into the model, but rejected. During the third stage, repeated feedings of different renditions into the AI gradually led to its ‘understanding’ the ancient rhythms. Yet, the ‘incompleteness’ revealed quite precisely the essence of human‑AI co‑creation. Reflecting on the experience, Richard said that through these repeated attempts, he learned how to collaborate with AI in creative work.
The piece involved rich layers of percussion, with distinctive ethnic timbres. Seven students took the stage: Roy Yang, Freddy Wang, Arlena Li, Jayden Yao, Richard Huang, Mubarak Ma, and Hugo Guo. As their drumbeats resonated with the AI‑generated sound tracks, Arlena marvelled at the unexpected harmony between traditional culture and AI. Freddy spoke about the growth gained through rehearsals.
Ms. Yunzhi Chen, Middle School Head of Music, recalled the process of preparation from May to July, with teachers and students practicing after school and during the summer break, in order to align each drumbeat with the AI rhythm. Ms.Chen also directed attention to the thoughtful costume design, in which fisherman‑style tops echoed the rustic vitality of Zhoushan drums, paired with contemporary horse‑face skirts, subtly blending tradition and modernity.
These events demonstrate very notably that Pao School’s middle school offers a rich variety of AI‑focused co-curricular activities, from AI literacy, programming, mathematical modelling, robotics to AI music creation, embedding AI education into students’ daily creative practice. This year, middle school students have also earned top prizes in several competitions, including WAICY and YAIOC. The WAICY competition attracted entrants from over 132,000 students, from 103 countries. Students from the Middle School at Hongqiao Campus ranked 4th and 5th globally in the Middle School AI Video Track, and they were the only award winners from Mainland of China.
The school’s Zhoushan Percussion team, established in 2016 at the initiative of Professor Anna Pao Sohmen, has included nearly 100 students, and has become an enduring cultural symbol at graduation ceremonies and school anniversaries.
As Middle School Principal Ada Wang observed: "What we originally envisioned was vividly showcased on the stage of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference, but that moment is only the beginning. Enabling students to harness AI while cultivating their creativity, ethical awareness, and spirit of exploration is the foundation of our daily teaching and learning."
*Special thanks to Hongyi Xue, Middle School Head of Technology and Design, Yunzhi Chen, Middle School Head of Music and Leef Liu, Pao School Chinese Music Teacher, for their dedicated efforts in the event.
