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.
