The Tech Explorers and the Mystery of AI

by Aliza Borker

Overview

What if a robot couldn't recognize your face? Or an app couldn't understand how you talk?

What if the technology of the future... didn't see you?

Layla is excited to start school at Oakwood Middle and joins new friends for what she thinks will be a simple AI project.

But when a facial recognition app mislabels Fatima, and voice assistants can't understand Noora's accent, the team stumbles upon a much deeper mystery: What happens when artificial intelligence isn't built for everyone?

Together, they form The Tech Explorers, diving into real-world issues-like biased hiring algorithms, unfair policing tools, and medical systems that miss certain skin tones.

With curiosity, courage, and a lot of coding, they set out to uncover the truth about how AI can go wrong-and how they can help fix it.

Can five middle schoolers make AI fairer?

Can you?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798218748562
Publisher:	Beacon Press
Publication date:	09/07/2025
Pages:	124
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.44(d)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Aliza Borker is a rising high school senior from New Jersey, USA. She grew up in a multicultural household as the daughter of parents from India and Pakistan—two nations often in conflict. Seeing her extended family navigate cultural differences sparked her early awareness of how culture and identity shape perception, interactions, and fairness in society.

As Artificial Intelligence rapidly evolves, Aliza recognized the risk that cultural biases could be amplified by technology. She wrote this book to inspire young readers to understand these challenges and become active participants in shaping an inclusive, ethical AI future.

Through this story, she shows how thoughtful, curious, and socially conscious young people can lead the way in building technology that reflects the best of humanity. Aliza hopes her book empowers others to take charge of the future of AI—and of their own future.