NextGenDemocracy

We help young people create ethical concepts that prepare them for a future where AI is faster, smarter and more human than humans.

Part of the NextGenDemocracy Film & AIdea Lab series
Media students create concepts that prepare 19-24 year olds for a future where AI is faster, smarter and more human than humans.

Media Hub Riga - Oct. 2-6, 2025.
Participants from Latvia, Sweden, Estonia, Belarus and Denmark.
Funded by The Nordic Council of Ministers

Human in the times of AI

Part of the NextGenDemocracy Film & AIdea Lab series
Media students create concepts that prepare 19-24 year olds for a future where AI is faster, smarter and more human than humans.

Media Hub Riga - Oct. 2-6, 2025.
Participants from Latvia, Sweden, Estonia, Belarus and Denmark.
Funded by The Nordic Council of Ministers

  • The way you present your idea makes all the difference

  • Insight first - ideas next

  • Will you educate the youth?

  • Want to create a video podcast?

  • Will you influence the politicians?

  • Which platforms work the best?

  • Activism? AI? Journalism? Education? Storytelling?

Tell stories like a filmmaker. Ask questions like a journalist. Innovate in teams like a design thinker.

Imagine yourself playing the lead role. Not in a film. But in inspiring your generation to put humans - not AI - at the heart of our future.

You step out of your usual role as a student and into a learning safari through media, technology and innovation.

Experts introduce you to the meaning of AI, AI media production, futures design, creative problem solving and the forces that drive development.

Get feedback, test your ideas - and discuss them with peers and experts alike.

How do we stay human in the age of AI? Let's find the answers and make the world better along the way.

Watch the video about last year’s project in Copenhagen against AI dis-information.

AI is changing us
- you can make the difference!

AI is becoming much smarter than humans. Not only because it learns quickly but because AI-agents can solve tasks faster, cheaper and better than us. So what should we humans spend our time and skills on?

At the same time, the internet is flooded with content produced with AI that we cannot tell if is true or false.

19-24 year olds therefore have a huge need to get all the benefits that come from being able to critically assess AI technology and develop their ethics, creativity and problem-solving skills.

Your target group is between 19 and 24 years old, and your mission is to come up with initiatives that engage young people ethically and safely in AI, so that you can proudly take responsibility for your own and our common sustainable future.

Your ideas should prepare your generation to stay human in the age of AI.

Briefing

Big Problem - the essence of being human is at risk

The AI revolution is accelerating. Therefore, unless we innovate the way young people prepare for the future, the next generation will face a society in which media interaction, work life, and human mentality are redefined.

Choose one of three challenges to solve for the target group aged 19-24:

  1. They risk AI software takes control of their personal lives, from intimacy to love, friendships, and personal development.

  2. AI can generate content that looks real, which threatens their cultural identity and their participation in democracy.

  3. The growing skills gap means they risk education leaving them unqualified for future jobs.


The Film & AIdea Lab

Friday - Problem insight report and futures design

Provide a short insight report that makes it clear why it’s important for 16-19 year olds to be well-prepared for an AI era. Visualize with AI-generated film clips a future scenario for 19-24 year olds if media don’t actively responds to the need of the next generation in regards to artificial intelligence.

Saturday - Find a creative solution

Solve the root cause of the most relevant problem for young people between the ages of 19 and 24 - with the aim of empowering the target group and preventing the negative consequences.

Your idea should be based on insights young people themselves experience according to your insight report. Consider whether, for example traditional journalism, algorithmic media, activism, educational media, or storytelling can contribute to solving the problem journalistically.

Sunday - Create a case film, maximum 2 minutes, about:

1. The root of the problem of 19-24 year olds with not being prepared for an AI era and a predictable negative future scenario if we do nothing to solve it.

2. Your solution idea for preparing 19-24 year olds journalistically for an AI era and how the solution idea is part of a positive future scenario.

AI on subscription
- Friend? Therapist? Romance?

What happens when AI services like Character.ai and ChatGPT take over important human roles and jobs? Are we becoming happier, or just feeling lonelier? Or useless?

Do we need to address the consequences of the interaction between humans and AI-robots? How can journalism help people think more critically and live by human values?

Can AI make artificial real?

The video on YouTube shows how AI influencers - avatars created by artificial intelligence - now have thousands of followers, likes and “collabs”. They look like people. They act like people. But they don’t exist.

Is this worrying? It will be difficult to distinguish between real and fake now that body ideals and tastes can be reflected by avatars? Do we risk losing the human and personal in our culture and in the media landscape?

When the human fades into the background and the artificial personality comes to the fore, it can change our common understanding of authenticity. How can we learn from our own and others’ mistakes, feelings and differences in the future?

Is it only the media that is changing? Are our relationships with each other also changing?

What is AGI?
- And why does it matter to us?

AGI stands for Artificial General Intelligence. AGI is the level at which AI becomes better at solving economically value-creating tasks than humans.

AI is currently good at specific tasks (such as writing texts or recognizing images). But in the future, AGI will be able to think, learn and solve problems just as flexibly and better than we humans.

Will AGI become a reality as early as 2025? Maybe not but AGI will change the way we work, learn and live. Many tasks can be taken over, and this can create opportunities. But AGI raises questions about our shared responsibility, ethics and role in the world.

What is AGI and what does it mean for the future? Watch the video.

When big politics is at stake

It’s no wonder politicians are favorite targets of AI-generated disinformation campaigns since power and conflicting interests are at stake.

But open and honest public discussion forums are fundamental for democratic elections. Politicians and citizens must interact without interference from untrue AI communication which is essential at global, national, and local levels.

Is it too crazy to claim that today's major problems are easier to solve if young people understand and take precautions against AI disinformation? How do we build mutual trust? How do we nurture free speech and honest interaction between people? And how should meaningful media coverage of politics look like in the era of AI?

Your idea should solve a problem

  • Our human-centric approach

    During this lab, we focus on transforming the risks of AI into opportunities for change.

    We explore how individuals and society may be affected. And invite the next generation to define the best actions forward.

    These actions are shaped through close collaboration between young participants and expert voices.

    We welcome AI into our lab. Not as a master, but as a creative and critical companion.

    Only by using AI thoughtfully can we truly learn what it means to stay human in an AI-powered future.

    The image is AI-generated/Midjourney

  • Ethics and AI

    The use of AI can pose an ethical threat to democratic processes and human culture.

    When technology distorts citizens’ understanding of societal conditions, it can lead to manipulated elections and weaken the foundations of an informed democracy.

    This raises a critical question about how we as a society ensure that AI becomes a tool for enlightenment rather than manipulation, especially to protect the democratic participation of young citizens.

    Image/Unsplash

  • A well functioning democracy

    Room to be yourself?
    Yes, a good democracy allows for individual expression and resolves conflicts through dialogue and understanding, creating a sense of belonging. It strengthens trust and cooperation. Similarly, democratic culture values diversity, and transparency.

    How do we build democracy?
    Activities like having a party, setting common goals, or cultivating common interests. Genuine interest in others is valuable. Democratic culture emphasizes tolerance, active participation, respect and protection of rights.

    Everyone’s voice should be heard and valued.

    Image/Unsplash

  • The people exposed

    According to our research, some groups are particularly exposed of disinformation wether they find their digital twin in porn, find their music copied by an AI on Spotify, hear their voice promote false messages:

    - Politicians
    - Public figures
    - Women
    - Journalists and TV-hosts
    - Creative content providers (music, text, film, etc.)

    The image is AI-generated/Midjourney

  • Democracy and human rights

    What on earth has disinformation got to do with human rights?

    Respect for human rights - and the access to true information - helps make democracy work effectively.

    Democracy and human rights support each other. Democracy protects human rights because the people have the power to elect their leaders and thereby hold them accountable.

    Image/Unsplash

  • Sustainable Development Goals

    4. Quality education - how can educations co-create democratic culture?
    10. Reduced inequalities - equal opportunities for all in the democratic participation?
    16. Peace, justice and strong institutions - institutions who promote inclusion, community and democracy.
    17. Partnerships for the goals - working together across borders for better democracy.

    Image/Unsplash