ALCOA, Tenn. — Members of Alcoa Intermediate School’s artificial intelligence team jump with joy and hug one another upon hearing the words: “And the winning project here is from Alcoa, Tennessee,” which plays over a screen in a classroom.
The team won the state championship of the Presidential AI Challenge and is heading to Washington, D.C., to compete nationally soon. The challenge started last fall, when the White House asked for teachers to apply for the competition…