The DE.CO.DE. project, led by the Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy, has successfully completed the first phase of its educational programme with a series of workshops on artificial intelligence, deepfakes and disinformation. Held at the Maison de la Paix, the workshops brought together more than 30 participants aged 18 to 25 from across the Lake Geneva region, including Geneva Graduate Institute students.
Led by journalist and Institute alumnus Joseph Roche, the workshops invited students, researchers and educators to explore one of today's most pressing civic challenges: how to navigate an information environment increasingly shaped by AI-generated content and coordinated disinformation campaigns.
Over the course of the spring semester, participants explored five themes:
- Identifying Disinformation Campaigns (13 March)
- Troll Farms and the Industrialization of Manipulation (14 March)
- Deepfakes, Social Media, and Synthetic Reality (15 May)
- Detecting and Responding to Deepfakes (16 May)
- Alternative Realities and Fragmented Information Spaces (12 June)
Drawing on his experience reporting from Ukraine and covering international affairs, Joseph Roche combined real world case studies with interactive discussions and practical exercises. Participants examined how disinformation campaigns are constructed, how AI-generated content is transforming the production and circulation of information, and how journalists verify information, images, and videos. They also co-developed interactive learning modules designed to help other young people understand these issues and connect them with democratic challenges.
The series concluded on 20 June with a dedicated workshop for secondary school teachers from the cantons of Geneva and Vaud. The session focused on practical strategies for bringing these issues into the classroom.
Together, these workshops represent an important milestone for DE.CO.DE. Beyond introducing participants to the challenges posed by AI and disinformation, they provided an opportunity to refine the project's pedagogical approach in preparation for its next phase. Indeed, starting in September, DE.CO.DE. will launch a new series of workshops for secondary school students aged 15 to 18 across the Lake Geneva region. The programme will equip young people with practical tools to recognise manipulated content, verify digital information and engage critically with today's rapidly evolving information environment.