// A studio for girls who build
HerAIStudio
Make/Play/Build/Break/Share
Free cohort-based workshops where high school girls in grades 9–12 design, wire, and code their own AI-powered cyberdeck. Real hardware, real code, mentored by female college engineers only a few years ahead of them. Powered by our AI Kits running local models on Arduino-based hardware. Dream it, Build it.
PrototypePowered by custom AI modelsPrototype of an Arduino-powered cyberdeck
yours won't look like this one. that's the point ↑
What you'll build
Kits for builders.
While we build, we're also sourcing our kits. Take a look at some of what's included. And don't forget the software and custom AI model that power the board, trained by you!
- Arduino Uno Q
- Camera
- Microphone
- USB hub
- Bluetooth keyboard
- Bluetooth mouse
- HDMI mini monitor
- Hidden power bank
- Yours to keep
Currently SourcingAI KIT: ARDUINO UNO Q, HDMI MINI MONITOR, BLUETOOTH KEYBOARD
still figuring out the perfect case ↑
// Sample builds
Same kit. Different disguise.
Every kit runs the same board and screen underneath. What goes around them is entirely up to you. Here are two examples where we've hidden one in plain sight.
Hollow bookSecret Journal
A private journal hidden inside a hollowed-out book. Opens locally in the browser. No account, no cloud, no one reading over your shoulder.
Field-readyB.L.O.O.M.
"Bridging Local Observations, Openly Mapped": an offline cyberdeck for capturing field notes, zipped into a repurposed makeup train case that holds up outside. No signal required. Capture picture, chat with an LLM about your observations, with the option to send your note to a community web site. Read the writeup here.
// The AI kit
A cyberdeck with a heartbeat.
An AI cyberdeck is a small computer you wire into a case you choose, running a language model directly on the hardware. Nothing leaves the device unless you decide to send it somewhere. Cyberdecks can be purpose built or host a variety of apps, but the core is always the same: a keyboard, a board, and a screen. The elements below are what make it all work.
Keyboard
A Bluetooth keyboard, paired straight to the board. This is where a prompt starts.
Board
An Arduino Uno Q. The model lives here and runs the your code locally.
Screen
An HDMI mini monitor. Whatever the model writes back shows up here, nowhere else.
Camera
A tiny camera, the "eyes" of your cyberdeck. It can be used for computer vision tasks, like object recognition or image classification.
Microphone
A microphone, the "ears" of your cyberdeck. It can be used for audio processing tasks, like speech recognition or sound classification.
//How we run this
Three things we don't compromise on.
Technical authorship
It's her build. Not "inspired by," not "helped with"; designed, trained, and coded by her, start to finish.
Honesty about failure
Building includes breaking things. A version that doesn't work the first time isn't a setback. It's the normal shape of the process.
Peer mentorship
Our cohort instructors are college engineers a few years ahead of our cohort students, not distant experts. Nothing about how the tech or the program works is hidden from you. Industry experts are standing by, though, if you need us!
// Why this exists
Not a pipeline. A studio.
The girls here are the authors of their work. The mentoring, the mission, and the statistics are just why the doors opened.
Fewer women build AI every year. We think that's a problem. So we will build a different narrative.
Her AI Studio is a Massachusetts 501(c)(3) nonprofit. We give high school girls in grades 9–12 free access to the hardware, software, and mentorship it takes to build a real AI device from scratch. No experience is required, and for our cohort students, no cost, ever.
make ai better by making better ai
// Questions
Before you ask.
- What if I can't join a cohort?
- You can still build on your own. Our shop is coming soon. Once it's live, you'll be able to buy a kit and follow the same curriculum solo. It's free and open either way; a cohort just adds mentors and a group to build alongside.
- Is Her AI Studio actually free?
- The program is, always, provided at no cost, ever, for cohort students. If you're selected for a cohort, congratulations! Consider yourself blessed with a scholarship. Kits bought solo through our shop are the one thing that costs something, since real parts aren't free to make. The curriculum itself is never behind a paywall.
- Do I need any experience?
- No. That's true whether you're learning alongside a cohort or building solo from a kit. We've designed a course that will teach you everything you need to know, from wiring to coding to training your own AI model. The only prerequisite is curiosity.
// Three ways in
Come build something loud
Instructors
Would you like to be considered as a paid cohort instructor?
Connect with us on Discord →Sponsor
Every kit costs something real. Got budget? Donate or sponsor!
See sponsorship tiers →