Generation AI Youth Ambassadors

GenerationAI: Youth Insights Paper

GenerationAI is an initiative of the Fogarty Foundation built on the premise that young people shouldn't just be asked what they think about AI in education, they should be in the room helping decide what happens next. It sits within the Foundation's broader work on AI in eductaion, building educator capability, growing an evidence base that is still in its infancy, and making sure WA's response is guided by equity, ethics and evidence. GenerationAI is the piece that puts youth voices at the centre, recognising that AI is already embedded in students' lives whether or not classrooms permit it, and that young people have both the most at stake and the least say in decisions being made about them.

GenerationAI: Youth Insights paper

GenerationAI created a platform where young people could explore complex issues, contribute to research, engage with decision-makers, and co-design solutions surrounding how AI is approached in education.

Download Insights Paper

The process

Eight Youth Ambassadors aged 15 to 25 were recruited from across Western Australia and supported in facilitation, communication, and turning ideas into something tangible. Over four workshops they shaped the research themes themselves, then went back into their own communities, schools, sporting clubs, community groups, online spaces, to co-facilitate structured conversations with young people. From those rooms they identified themes, patterns and gaps, developed clear positions on what needs to change, and drafted the report's recommendations. Along the way they contributed public-facing content and presented to educators, policymakers and sector leaders at roundtables.

I have seen first hand that the students who stand to gain the most from understanding generative AI are the ones currently getting the least. The education system is failing to set clear standards for AI literacy, leaving access to depend on the ability and resources of individual teachers and schools. Without structure and equitable access, AI that could be used to close the gap in education quality may instead deepen the one that already exists. As AI reshapes the future of work, those without critical skills are essentially left starting the race from outside the stadium. A reactive mindset will not be what makes our students thrive.

Athanasios Limnios, GenerationAI Youth Ambassador