The LearningPlanet Festival is back!
January 21-28, 2026

As every year since 2020, to mark International Education Day (24 January), the Institute organises the LearningPlanet Festival, in partnership with UNESCO and hundreds of pioneering organisations in the fields of education, culture, science, social and environmental impact, as well as with thousands of students and young activists from all over the world.

The 2026 edition promises to be rich in discussions and collaborations around the world, not least at the Learning Planet Institute in Paris, for two exceptional days of celebration on 21 and 22 January 2026!

Location: Learning Planet Institute – 8 bis rue Charles V, 75004 Paris

January 21, 2026 – a day dedicated to research – By invitation only

“AI, Democracy & Peace: Empowering Youth for Peaceful & Democratic Futures” is an all-day research workshop organised by the Research Unit Learning Transitions (UR LT), in collaboration with the Geneva Centre for Philanthropy, this research workshop will bring together a selected group of researchers, youth representatives, and practitioners to co-design research prototypes addressing challenges at the intersection of AI, democracy, and peacebuilding. This workshop is part of a series on AI in learning organised by the UR LT. The previous workshops have explored the topics “Ethics of AI” (January 2024), “AI for Collective Intelligence” (December 2024), “AI & self-governance” (April 2025), and “Critical thinking in the age of AI” (November 2025).

By invitation only

Short description of the workshop

Around the world, rising conflict, polarization, and democratic instability call for new approaches to peacebuilding and civic engagement. At the same time, rapid advances in Artificial Intelligence are reshaping how we communicate, learn, organise, and participate in society. This workshop explores how youth-led peace and democracy initiatives can be strengthened by combining peace education, conflict transformation, broad listening, and participatory methods with emerging AI tools.

Drawing inspiration from the Peaceful Futures ecosystem, we will examine practices such as structured dialogue, civic engagement, mediation, and foresight—and consider how these can evolve in an AI-intense era to foster empathy, inclusion, and youth agency. Through collaborative discussion and co-design activities, participants will identify key research priorities and prototype approaches for using AI to support peaceful and democratic cultures. The workshop brings together researchers, educators, youth leaders, technologists, and philanthropic actors committed to shaping AI for the common good.

The workshop is structured around three interconnected phases, drawing on principles of human-centered design, participatory design, and co-design: establishing a common understanding, identifying research objectives and designing research prototypes.