ENACT AI

What challenges does Enact AI address?

Democracy is under pressure and a declining political participation - Indicators from the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung and Eurobarometer 2024 reveal concerning trends: Only 50% of Germans and 60% of Europeans are satisfied with democracy. Even more alarming, just 38% of young people consider voting the most effective way to make their voices heard —32% prefer using social media to feel themselves heard (Eurobarometer Youth and Democracy). Meanwhile, digitalization is reshaping political communication, information access, and civic participation. While new technologies like AI offer opportunities, they also pose risks:

  • Spread of disinformation
  • Algorithmic manipulation
  • Lack of critical media literacy

Enact AI’s Response: Critical AI Competence for Civic Education

Enact AI addresses these challenges with a user-centred approach to civic education:

  • Democracy as a Shaping Process: Through targeted learning materials, young people learn to understand democracy in its complexity—and see themselves as active citizens capable of driving change.
  • Critical Thinking in AI Use: The project teaches skills to question algorithms, identify disinformation, and responsibly use digital tools—essential competencies for active participation in a digitized world.
  • Empowerment Through Practice: Pilot initiatives demonstrate how educators can convey these skills, enabling young people to act as informed and engaged citizens in society and democracy.

Target Groups in the Enact AI Project

Enact AI engages diverse stakeholders who play a key role in promoting AI competence and democratic participation. By addressing these groups, the project aims to create sustainable impact—from direct youth work to shaping policy frameworks.

Youth and Young Adults (14–24 years) – the primary beneficiaries
This group is at the heart of the project, with a special focus on first-time voters (16–18 years) and disadvantaged youth who have had limited access to democratic processes or digital skills. Enact AI supports them in:

  • Expanding digital and democratic competencies
  • Learning to use AI as a tool for political participation
  • Developing critical thinking about digital information and algorithms through participatory learning formats, they discover how to actively engage in societal processes and drive change.

Educational Trainers – the mediators

This includes youth workers, school social workers, educators, and trainers in civic education. They work directly with young people and are crucial in implementing Enact AI’s content. The project helps them:

  • Use new formats and materials to educate youth on AI, disinformation, and democratic participation
  • Integrate AI into their educational work
  • Motivate young people to engage actively in democratic processes

Leadership in Non-Formal Education – the designers

This group includes managers in youth centers, civic education organizations, adult education institutions, and cultural institutions. They play a key role in developing educational programs. Enact AI provides them with:

  • Pilot initiatives and materials to expand their democracy and AI education programs
  • Tools and inspiration to anchor AI as a topic in their institutions
  • Support in implementing innovative educational formats

Policy Makers – the decision makers

Actors in politics and administration are essential for creating supportive conditions for integrating AI into civic education. Enact AI engages them to:

  • Strengthen strategies and action plans for digital and democracy education
  • Politically anchor the use of AI in education
  • Create frameworks that support innovative educational approaches