School of Possibilities

Public participation in decision-making in Romania is low, with many teenagers feeling excluded from civic processes. As part of the Youth Data Collective (YDC)—an international network of scientists, artists, students, education advocates, and social innovators—we developed the School of Possibilities (SoP), a hybrid digital–physical experience designed to engage high school students in education reform. Co-designed with students, SoP is a generative AI system featuring 20 conversational agents personified as “school objects.” Users share stories and ideas about an object, which the AI agents “learn” from, generating synthesized insights framed as possibilities. In January 2024, 275 students from nine schools participated in the experience at a local arts center. Natural Language Processing (NLP) analysis of their contributions showed that the system encouraged participants to question the education system, propose reforms, and see their perspectives reflected. The prototype demonstrated how AI-enabled engagement can strengthen youth participation in low-trust civic environments.