Portlaoise Library will host an interactive exhibition on artificial intelligence (AI), algorithms, and their role in misinformation and disinformation from 22nd to 25th September. The event is part of a European initiative to help young people and the wider public understand how digital technologies shape everyday life.
Visitors will be able to explore digital games, quizzes, and activities that are designed to reveal how algorithms affect the information we see online and how they can be used to spread false or misleading content. Themes such as climate, health and wellbeing, online relationships, and democracy are at the heart of the displays, ensuring the exhibition connects with issues that matter to young people and communities today.
The exhibition draws on resources created through Algowatch, a Creative Europe funded two-year project led by Savoir Devenir in Paris and including partners in Croatia, Portugal and Ireland. The Irish team is led by Dr. Aphra Kerr, a native of Ballyfin and Prof. of Digital Media and Communication at University College Dublin and a researcher at the Research Ireland funded ADAPT centre for AI and Digital Technology.
As part of the wider programme, Professor Kerr will also deliver workshops on 23rd and 24th September for Transition Year students of Scoil Chríost an Rí and 2nd Year Digital Media students of CBS Portlaoise. These workshops, developed using a European digital competency framework and co-created with teachers, youth groups, and over 100 Irish teenagers, are designed to be highly interactive. Students will play digital quizzes, group activities, and a digital game that encourages critical thinking about how algorithms and AI influence the digital world.
Dr Kerr said:
“The exhibition and workshops highlight the importance of digital literacy and give young people the tools to navigate an online environment increasingly shaped by AI. This initiative empowers the next generation to become informed digital citizens, capable of making thoughtful decisions in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.”
Algowatch resources are available in four languages and are designed to help schools, libraries, and communities build resilience against misinformation and disinformation.
The exhibition and workshops are supported by Europe Direct Portlaoise, part of a network of centres across Ireland and the EU providing information, resources, and events about European issues.
