Children and young people no longer use Google, they ask ChatGPT. They know that not every answer is correct, but they often lack the strategies to critically question AI content. This is exactly where the Digital Resilience: Tool for AI and Deepfake Competence in Young People project comes in.
The online tool invites young people on a virtual journey through a school of the future: in interactive stories, they make decisions, discover different rooms and learn in a playful way how artificial intelligence works and how to critically question it.
At NextGenAI School, young people explore the following topics in a practical and understandable way:
- Fundamentals of artificial intelligence: What is (generative) AI? How do algorithms and machine learning work?
- Large language models: How do systems like ChatGPT work?
- Generative AI: What are its possibilities and limitations?
- Deepfakes: How can you recognise manipulated content? How do you practise source criticism?
- Application in the classroom: How can AI be used effectively in a learning context?
- Ethical questions: Will teachers still be needed in the future? How much AI should schools use?
The didactic approach is based on openness and self-direction: learners move freely through the environment, make their own decisions and reflect on different perspectives. Instead of providing ready-made answers, NextGenAI School encourages discussion about opportunities, risks and the role of AI in education.
Tests with young people have shown positive results. They particularly appreciate the freedom to move around the learning environment and make their own decisions. The setting encourages reflection: Would I like to be in a school like this? How much AI would I like to see in my everyday school life?
The tool also offers a comprehensive collection of materials for teachers and pupils.
The project was developed by an interdisciplinary team from three Zurich universities as part of the 3rd Rapid Action Call: Dr Sabrina H. Kessler (UZH), Dr Alexandra Krebs (PHZH), Valery Wyss (ZHAW), Johanna Alves Villalva Zweifel (PHZH), Miriam Eickhoff (ZHAW), Svenja Landolt (UZH) and Ellen Saaro (UZH).