The free Mark Cuban Foundation AI Bootcamp will return to South Florida this fall for its fifth year, expanding to four locations across Miami and Palm Beach County.
The 2026 program will serve high school students in grades 9 through 12 at sites in Miami, Boca Raton, Loxahatchee, and Palm Beach Gardens. Three of the four locations are in Palm Beach County, reflecting the region’s growing focus on artificial intelligence, advanced computing, and technology workforce development.
The bootcamp will take place over three consecutive Saturdays: October 31, November 7, and November 14. Applications are due by September 30, 2026.
Students do not need prior coding, computer science, or artificial intelligence experience to apply. The program is free for accepted students.
Four locations, one regional program
The Miami bootcamp will be hosted and staffed by Miami Dade College, while the Palm Beach County locations will be based at Palm Beach State College campuses in Boca Raton, Loxahatchee, and Palm Beach Gardens. The Cox Science Center and Aquarium and the PBC STEM Ecosystem are also involved in the Palm Beach County programming.
According to the Mark Cuban Foundation’s 2026 location listing, all four South Florida sites will follow the same three-day fall schedule.
The Miami program will provide meals, transportation assistance, and technology at no cost, according to Miami Dade College. The foundation’s student information page says participants at the bootcamps receive the devices and materials needed for the program.
The expansion marks a significant increase from the program’s South Florida launch in 2022, when two camps were held: one in Miami-Dade County and another in Palm Beach County. The initiative has since developed into a broader regional network connecting students with colleges, science institutions, and technology professionals.
Palm Beach County has been building partnerships between schools, colleges, businesses, and technology organizations around emerging fields. Image: Business Development Board of Palm Beach County.
What students will learn
The AI Bootcamp is designed as an introduction to artificial intelligence and its applications in everyday life, business, science, and creative industries.
The curriculum includes:
- AI fundamentals and machine learning
- Large language models and prompting
- Generative AI
- Applied AI ethics
- Entrepreneurship and design thinking
- Career-focused applications
- Mentor-led capstone projects
Students work in groups and develop projects connected to real-world problems or areas of personal interest. The foundation’s sample schedule includes lessons on how AI systems work, data and ethics, image generation, and the use of AI in career fields such as healthcare, sports, business, computer science, arts and entertainment, and ecology.
The capstone component is intended to move students beyond simply using AI tools. Participants develop an idea, consider its practical use, and present their work with guidance from industry mentors.
That emphasis on applied learning is central to the program. The Mark Cuban Foundation says students use AI to solve problems, explore career interests, and develop projects without needing to begin as programmers.
The program also places ethics alongside technical skills. Students examine what AI can and cannot do, how they already interact with automated systems, and the potential consequences of using AI in schools, businesses, healthcare, and other settings.
Why Palm Beach County is becoming a center for AI and quantum technology
The concentration of three bootcamp locations in Palm Beach County comes as the county is attracting increased investment in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, healthcare technology, and related industries.
D-Wave, a quantum computing company, announced plans to relocate its corporate headquarters to Boca Raton and establish a U.S. research and development facility at the Boca Raton Innovation Campus. Separately, Florida Atlantic University signed a $20 million agreement to purchase a D-Wave Advantage2 quantum computer for its Boca Raton campus.
The D-Wave and FAU partnership includes plans for quantum education, research, and workforce development. FAU has described the system as part of a broader effort to establish the university as a hub for quantum computing in Florida.
Palm Beach State College is also developing an AI and Quantum Innovation Center intended to provide students, researchers, startups, and industry partners with access to labs and emerging technology infrastructure. The Business Development Board of Palm Beach County has identified quantum technology, artificial intelligence, robotics, health technology, and advanced manufacturing as key parts of the region’s innovation economy.
The area’s technology activity also includes established companies such as Boca Raton-based ModMed, formerly Modernizing Medicine. The healthcare technology company has been developing AI-powered tools for clinical documentation, practice management, revenue cycle operations, and patient engagement. Its work is part of a broader South Florida technology landscape that connects AI with healthcare and business operations.
These developments do not represent a direct partnership between the bootcamp and each company. They do, however, provide context for the region’s growing interest in introducing students to AI and advanced computing before they enter college or the workforce.
The county’s technology strategy includes collaboration among educational institutions, businesses, and workforce organizations. Image: Business Development Board of Palm Beach County.
Eligibility and application requirements
The bootcamp is open to students in grades 9 through 12. No previous experience with coding, artificial intelligence, or computer science is required.
Students apply through the foundation’s online application portal and are asked to explain their interest in the program and select a career track. A parent or guardian must complete a separate application and consent form for the student’s application to be considered complete.
The application deadline is September 30, 2026. Students who are accepted must attend all three sessions because the curriculum builds from one Saturday to the next.
Applications can be submitted through the Mark Cuban Foundation AI Bootcamp student portal. The foundation’s 2026 program page lists the South Florida locations and the national schedule.
The foundation says accepted students do not need to bring a laptop. Devices and other necessary materials are provided during the program, although students may use their own laptop or tablet if they prefer.
Students who complete all three days receive a certificate of completion and are invited to join the foundation’s AI Bootcamp Alumni Network, which offers continuing mentorship, events, and college and career resources.
A local pipeline for a fast-changing field
The expansion comes as schools, colleges, and employers across South Florida work to prepare students for an economy increasingly shaped by AI.
For students, the bootcamp offers an entry point that is less formal than a college computer science course and more hands-on than a standard online tutorial. Participants can explore how AI affects fields they may already be considering, including medicine, entertainment, sports, entrepreneurship, and environmental science.
For local institutions, the four-site structure creates a larger network for connecting high school students with instructors, mentors, college campuses, and emerging technology companies.
The program’s growth from two South Florida camps in 2022 to four locations in 2026 also signals a shift in how AI education is being presented locally: not as a niche subject reserved for experienced programmers, but as a practical tool with applications across nearly every major industry.
Students interested in participating should review the location and eligibility information and submit both the student and parent or guardian applications before the September 30 deadline.
Sources
- Mark Cuban Foundation AI Bootcamp : Students and 2026 Locations
- Mark Cuban Foundation AI Bootcamp : 2026 Program
- Miami Dade College: Mark Cuban Foundation and MDC Bring Free AI Bootcamp to Miami Teens
- Palm Beach State College and Cox Science Center AI Bootcamp announcement
- D-Wave and Florida Atlantic University Quantum Computing Partnership
- Business Development Board of Palm Beach County: AI, Quantum and Technology Growth
- South Florida Digest Technology Coverage
