Artificial intelligence (AI) education in kindergarten through high school (K-12) is advancing in many countries, including the United States. The purpose of this research has been to better understand the impact of participation in an AI course on the sixth, seventh, and eighth-grade students' overall interest, career interest in AI, and knowledge of AI concepts. This comparative non-experimental study examined differences in the dependent variables before and after participating in an intervention program and based on student gender. In this study, the dependent variables include self-efficacy, AI knowledge, and career interest in AI, and the quasi-independent variable is gender. For this quantitative study, paired t-tests and repeated measures ANOVA tests were conducted. Data analysis showed a significant increase in all students' overall self-efficacy and career interest in AI-related subjects after participating in the AI PBL curriculum. Students' content knowledge also improved after the PBL participation. However, self-efficacy, career interest, and AI and knowledge were not different based on student gender. Regardless of gender, students' scores on all three dependent variables increased after participation in the AI PBL treatment. These findings provide insights into how the current research relates to and contributes to the ongoing discourse around AI education for K-12 and middle-school students. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]