EXCUSE ME?! – Confronting Hate, Incitement, and Disinformation in and beyond the Classroom

Digital disinformation and AI-generated content are transforming the way we perceive and evaluate information. In cooperation with HKA – Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences and supported by the ZKM as an educational partner, the symposium “The Fabrication of Truth” provides a platform to highlight current challenges and explore new perspectives.

The symposium is part of the project “Reality Check: Fake or Fact in the Age of Generative AI”, initiated by HKA’s Institute for Intelligent Interaction and Immersive Experience and funded by the Carl Zeiss Foundation. Its aim is to raise awareness—especially among young people—of the challenges posed by fake news, deepfakes, and digital manipulation.

Hate speech, agitation, and disinformation are omnipresent on social media. Children and young people encounter them every day. This makes early education and awareness all the more important. Schools and extracurricular learning environments play a crucial role in this process.
The campaign BITTE WAS?! – Countering Fakes and Hate supports teachers as well as extracurricular educators with practice-tested teaching and workshop materials.
In this impulse lecture, members of the campaign demonstrate how topics such as deepfakes can be explained in an accessible way and explored with learners through hands-on media activities.