CornCon Cybersecurity Conference helps students explore technology, AI use

DAVENPORT, Iowa (KWQC) - Students explored technology and more at CornCon Cybersecurity Conference in Davenport Saturday.

Organizers said CornCon is the leading Midwest cybersecurity event. It happens twice a year and 2025 marks 11 years of the conference.

CornCon included a Kids Hacker Camp which taught students ages 7 to 18 about lockpicking, welding, coding, AI, ethical hacking and more. Students participated in games and puzzles for chances to win prizes.

The students also built their own computers and learned about careers in cybersecurity.

“We need a million, two million people to go into cyber as a career, we have a lot of need, in order to keep up, because our adversaries aren’t slowing down,” said Dr. John Johnson, co-founder of CornCon.

The event also offered training for AI including how to responsibly use it and what its benefits are.

Johnson recommends using critical thinking and verifying answers when using AI by asking for citations.

“Always ask for the citations, so you know where it got that information,” said Johnson.

To learn more about the event, visit CornCon.net.