Educating an A(ctivist) Intelligence

Photo: Martin Dörsch

Critical ChangeLab Symposia / For Digital Arts & Culture Professionals / For AI Inquirers

Conference

Educating an A(ctivist) Intelligence

We live amidst systemic shocks—climate collapse, algorithmic surveillance, political fragmentation. Panic is no longer a bug; it’s the default. But does it immobilize us, or activate us? As young people navigate a world fueled by AI, urgency and uncertainty challenge democratic futures.

This session centers on radical AI education as civic armor, aligned with the festival’s call for a “digital immune system” rather than alarmism. Educational activists, youth organizers, and techno-critics will spotlight initiatives that transcend basic digital literacy: young learners conducting investigations into algorithmic bias, staging AI-driven performance interventions, and building democratic norms through collective code and critique.

They will examine how AI education can harness the tension of panic—not to paralyze, but but to provoke: to demand transparency, reimagine power, and reclaim agency in civic life. Drawing connections to feminist, anti-racist, and ecological worldviews, the panel will argue that youth-led AI practices are not optional enrichment—they are necessary acts of resilience and resistance.

Can we turn panic about AI into a communal compass for democratic reinvention? Join us to confront panic head-on—and imagine AI education as democratic praxis.

POSTCITY, First Floor, Education Stage
Do. 4. Sep. 2025 14:00 – 17:00

Sprache //

EN

Ticket //

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  • Opening Remarks

    Andrew Newman (AU/AT), Eva Durall Gazulla (ES)

    Eva Durall Gazulla, representing Critical ChangeLab, and curator Andrew Newman will open the symposium by framing its central questions and ambitions.

  • Derrick de Kerckhove & Katharina Mosene: Educating Agency in the Age of AI

    Derrick de Kerckhove (BE/CA/IT), Katharina Mosene (DE)

    The keynotes explore how digital transformation and AI challenge democracy, literacy, and education. Derrick de Kerckhove reflects on the erosion of subjecthood and democratic foundations, while Katharina Mosene highlights how young people can build agency to resist disinformation, bias, and power imbalances in digital societies.

  • Unlearning the Algorithm: Education for Critical AI Literacy

    Amil Khan (GB), Ana Maria Salinas Bojaca (CO/DE), Christoph Helm (AT), Mairéad Hurley (IE)

    Drawing on insights from digital rights, media literacy, community-based innovation, and education reform, the discussion will focus on practical strategies for fostering technological agency—and ensuring that AI serves as a tool for inclusion, creativity, and democratic participation.

  • Simona Levi: Don’t blame the people. Don’t blame the Internet. Blame the power.

    Simona Levi (IT/ES)

    If we truly believe in democracy, we must stop repeating the mistakes of the past. Let’s build a democratic digitalization—one that guarantees real sovereignty for the people.

  • Praxis Presentations: Future Narratives

    Johanna Lenhart (AT), Caitlin White (IE), Guadalupe Patricia Del Razo Martinez (ES)

    This session presents a series of short, inspiring presentations from educators who use storytelling, future thinking, and creative data practices to empower young people to imagine and shape the futures they want to see.

  • Wrap Up

    Andrew Newman (AU/AT), Mairéad Hurley (IE)

    Moderators Andrew Newman and Mairéad Hurley will bring the first conference day to a close by distilling key insights and moments of inspiration from the sessions.

Presented in the context of Critical ChangeLab. Critical ChangeLab is funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No. 101094217 - HORIZON-CL2-2022-DEMOCRACY-01-04.