Digital Transformer Days 2023

The main themes of the presentations and sessions were inclusion and sustainability. For instance, one session centred around the use of artificial intelligence when working with young people, and the risks this could entail. In the session that kicked off day 1 of the BarCamp, Katharina Hamisch and Dr Robert Kruschel provided intriguing examples of how AI can be deployed as a catalyst for inclusive education – and not just as a technical aid for participants with a physical impairment. When preparing educational sessions, ChatGPT can be asked to suggest useful methods to ensure the more effective inclusion of students with special needs. Teachers can prompt Midjourney to generate images suitable for certain target groups, such as children with autism. Programs such as replica.de go even further – for instance, a (personalised) digital buddy can assist children as they navigate difficult phases in their lives, and suggest ways to deal with any problems.

That said, when it comes to AI there is a fine line to be walked between its risks and benefits. AI-based diagnostic tools should always be employed with caution, mindful of the fact that they can be prone to errors and may provide an incomplete picture, even though they are based on recent scientific insights. Ultimate responsibility may not be transferred to an AI tool, concluded the presenters and then the participants in the subsequent debate. However, if correctly deployed such tools can deliver benefits for experts and young people alike – and may even lead to changes inside education systems, which can often be quite rigid.

The BarCamp sessions that followed on day 1 were very much hands-on, with participants testing a range of formats and reflecting on how best to use them. What tools can be used to prepare a youth exchange? Are there any pitfalls when using a video application to generate automatic subtitles in various languages? How can audiotools be used? Again, the participants agreed that while AI and digital tools are no substitute for experts’ skills and experience, provided they are used with due care they can make life easier and be helpful aids.

Digital = sustainable?

On day 2, the session run by Nicole Wolf of wechange.org provided a lot of food for thought. There is typically little awareness of the negative environmental impacts of digitalisation. After all, who knows that prompting ChatGPT to do a task uses around one thousand times as much energy as, e.g., running a search request on Google? Or that the production of electronic devices requires raw materials whose sourcing and trade can trigger conflicts and wars?

So should we just not use it at all? No. Instead, we need to consider alternatives, make well-informed choices and avoid excess consumption. Specifically, that could mean avoiding data waste, using multi-functional devices, scaling back streaming quality and using providers that are serious about data privacy and fair production methods. It quickly became clear that this is easier said than done, and that it requires quite a bit of research. But, as Nicole Wolf said by way of encouragement, “we need to start somewhere”. Initiatives such as Bits und Bäume offer good resources. And indeed the participants made an immediate start in one of the following BarCamp sessions, where they tested Zourit, an open-source alternative to Microsoft Office.

Thanks go to our BarCamp cooperation partners: ConAct - Coordination Center for German-Israeli Youth Exchange, the German-Greek Youth Office (DGJW), the German-Polish Youth Office (DPJW), the Franco-German Youth Office (DFJW), Deutsch-Türkische Jugendbrücke, TANDEM – Czech-German Youth Exchange Coordination Centre, Stiftung deutsch-russischer Jugendaustausch and JUGEND für Europa – the German National Agency for Erasmus+ Youth, Erasmus+ Sport and the European Solidarity Corps. The event received funding from the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ).