Information Literacy for Societal Resilience: A new creative intervention about the effects of AI on our online lives

Over the past few years, our media landscape has become increasingly populated with AI-generated content. From chatbots to deepfakes, it is becoming even more difficult to tell what is real and authentic online verus what’s been designed to deceive us. New tools powered by artificial intelligence are being released that make it easier, faster and cheaper to generate all types of content, while regulations struggle to keep up.  In turn, the harms that have always existed online – from scams and harassment to social polarisation – are now being “supercharged” by AI.

Amidst the media hype about AI, malicious actors are also using it to target individuals with scams or multiple types of harassment and influence. Though it can often be difficult to detect, AI tools are being used to fabricate news, imitate reality, and influence our opinions and behaviours. AI models are trained on datasets that are coded with the biases of those who create it; reinforcing stereotypes and leading to consequences that stretch beyond the digital realm.

A new creative intervention produced by Tactical Tech and DensityDesign Lab at Politecnico di Milano, in collaboration with the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA),  will address how AI is impacting the ways that media and information are produced, distributed and perceived. The exhibition, designed to be hosted in libraries throughout Europe, will present visitors with engaging resources that will make these issues tangible and visual. It will also provide practical tips for what to do when we are confronted with these issues in our online lives.

Starting November 2024, this brand new exhibition about AI and its impact on media and information will be traveling through 50 libraries in Europe.

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The intervention is produced by Tactical Tech in collaboration with DensityDesign Lab at Politecnico di Milano and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and generously supported by the European Media & Information Fund, managed by Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.

Project partners:

Supported by:

DensityDesign Lab, Design Department at the Politecnico di Milano. Visit the DensityDesign Lab Website / Visit the Politecnico di Milano Website

DensityDesign is a research lab at the Design Department of Politecnico di Milano, Italy — a scientific-technological university, which trains engineers, architects and designers. DensityDesign’s research revolves around information visualisation, tackling the design challenges arising from the visual exploration and communication of social and cultural phenomena.

Tactical Tech. Visit the Tactical Tech's Website

Today more than ever, we need to reflect critically on our relationship with technology. How do digital technologies impact the way we get informed and make decisions? How can we as a society face the 'side-effects' of an increasingly data-driven world? At Tactical Tech, a Berlin-based non-profit organisation, we design and co-develop playful and forward-looking experiences, interventions, events and educational resources that invite people to think about how technology influences their lives and changes the world they live in. Since 2013, we have  joined forces with a global network of partners and civil society organisations, collaborating at the intersection of technology, research, design and art on projects that promote conversations and encourage proactive solutions.

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. Visit Website

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)  is the global organisation for libraries of all sorts. With a mission to inspire, engage, enable and connect the global library field, it works as a platform for professionals from around the world to come together to exchange ideas and experiences and develop guidelines and standards to support the provision of excellent library services to all. It is also strongly engaged in work to build advocacy for libraries at all levels, in order to enable them to fulfill their potential to support inclusive sustainable development.

IFLA Library Networks who are part of this initiative. Visit Website

Association of Greek Librarians and Information Scientists (Greece); Associazione Italiana Biblioteche (Italy); Czech National Library (Czech Republic); Estonian Librarians Association (Estonia); National and University Library in Zagreb (Croatia);  Rede de Bibliotecas Escolares (Portugal); Romanian Library Association & West University of Timisoara (Romania); and  Ukrainian Library Association (Ukraine).