Artificial Intelligence on The Carpentries

GenAI in Workshops: A Bonus Module to Instructor Training

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Carpentries is excited to launch a new bonus module to Instructor Training, GenAI in Workshops, designed to empower Instructors to account for learners’ use of generative AI chatbot tools in their workshops.

Why now?

We developed the bonus module in response to the growing numbers of reports we have received from Instructors who have observed frequent chatbot use among their learners. (This is a trend across many educational settings, which is probably one reason why the new series of community sessions on GenAI and Teaching is proving so popular.)

The Carpentries Forms a Strategic Partnership with datocracy AI

Thu, 14 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Two Organisations. One Bold Mission.

The future of AI must be shaped by people who understand it and have the skills to question it. Today, datocracy AI and The Carpentries are announcing a partnership that puts people at the very centre of the future of AI training and usage. We are proud to announce this collaboration, as a meeting of two organisations with deeply complementary missions, and a shared understanding that knowledge, when made accessible and equitable, is powerful.

AI Carpentry? Helping learners make better choices with genAI.

Tue, 05 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In two recent community discussion sessions, we explored what mental model of machine learning/deep learning we could teach to learners already familiar with the basics of programming, to help them safely and sensibly implement these methods in their software and data analysis. Some great lessons on these topics already exist in The Carpentries Incubator and Lab, and I am excited about the prospect of adapting them into new official Carpentries workshops, either within an existing lesson program or under a completely new banner (e.g., “AI Carpentry.”)

AI Community Discussion Session Report: Case Studies to Inform Curriculum

Thu, 29 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In March, The Carpentries hosted a pair of AI and The Carpentries sessions, the last we currently have planned in this series. These sessions, titled Case Studies to Inform Carpentries Curriculum, were an opportunity to hear directly from community leaders and learn from their teaching experience with and about large language models (LLMs). After several open discussion sessions facilitated by members of the Core Team, we took a deeper dive into the perspectives and expertise of particular community members.

Community Session Report: Essential Knowledge and Common Misconceptions

Tue, 18 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In February, The Carpentries hosted the second of three pairs of AI and The Carpentries community discussion sessions. The topic of this pair of sessions was Essential Knowledge and Common Misconceptions. For the Curriculum Team, the primary objective of these discussions was to identify the aspects of LLMs and their use in programming/data science that are most important to discuss during a Carpentries workshop. This post summarises the main points raised and the perspectives shared by community members who joined the sessions.

The Carpentries Lab: Introduction to Deep Learning with Python

Tue, 11 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

We are delighted to announce the addition of a new community-developed lesson on deep learning to The Carpentries Lab. The curriculum was peer reviewed in the Lab Reviews repository and approved for inclusion in The Carpentries Lab on 6th February 2025.

The Carpentries Lab was set up as a space for peer-reviewed lessons developed by the community. Designed to complement The Carpentries Incubator, where the community collaborates on the development of new lessons on a wide range of topics, the Lab is intended to serve as a platform for open peer-review of these community-developed lessons and the hosting of lessons that have passed through that review process.

Community Session Report: The Ethics of Teaching LLMs in Carpentries Workshops

Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In January, The Carpentries hosted the first of three pairs of AI and The Carpentries community discussion sessions. The topic of this first pair of sessions was The Ethics of Teaching Large Language Models (LLMs) in Carpentries Workshops. They featured an exploration of various ethical implications of the development and use of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and GitHub Copilot, and a conversation about the scope for engaging with those implications while teaching Carpentries workshops. This post summarises the main points raised and the perspectives shared by community members who joined the sessions.

Teaching LLM Assistants in Carpentries Workshops, part 2

Tue, 21 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Following our previous post summarising a pair of community discussions on the topic of teaching the use of LLM “assistants” such as ChatGPT in Carpentries workshops, here we describe the Curriculum Team’s plans to coordinate relevant updates to lessons.

Including discussion of LLMs in workshops

One key takeaway from November’s community discussions was the observation that learners are using/will use LLM assistants when learning to code, whether we want them to or not. In this context, we believe that our goal as Instructors should be to help learners develop a working mental model of how these tools can be used, the kind of task they are (and are not) suited to, and their strengths and limitations.

Teaching LLM Assistants in Carpentries Workshops, part 1

Thu, 16 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Generative AI “assistants” such as ChatGPT and GitHub Copilot, based on large language models (LLMs), have gained a lot of attention over recent years and are impacting how people learn about and practice coding and data science. Some members of The Carpentries community have reported observing learners using ChatGPT and similar tools to assist them in and after workshops. Others have reported on efforts to educate members of their local communities about the models behind these tools, their advantages and limitations, and how to judiciously approach their use.