There is no denying the current impact of generative AI tools on our professional, academic and personal lives. Whether we embrace them or remain sceptical about how they are used, the public debate is now highly visible and widely covered in the media. Open any news feed and you will find dozens of articles discussing the ethical, quality-related, legal and environmental issues surrounding this technology, as well as the risk of addiction. Whatever our view of generative AI’s usefulness or relevance for a particular task, its presence in our digital lives is no longer marginal. It has become a widely available and highly visible tool—sometimes free—which many people use as readily as a search engine, a public media outlet or an online knowledge base.

Yet, like all digital tools, it follows its own rules. Its algorithmic operation means that it is neither a search engine, nor a media outlet, nor a knowledge base. Generative AI is, by definition, a content-generation tool. It responds to a request expressed as a prompt. The way that request is worded influences the response and may introduce biases, representations—accurate or inaccurate—and particular intentions. Although generative AI is not designed to serve as an authoritative source, it does function as a predictive writing tool. Depending on the system, content generation may be supplemented by access to documents or external sources. Training data, design choices and the resources used can also reproduce biases, representations and priorities.

We believe that understanding the broad algorithmic principles behind generative AI is essential if these tools are to be used wisely. This knowledge is not beyond anyone’s reach: it can be acquired through simple, engaging activities. In particular, it helps distinguish content generation from information retrieval. Generative AI is no substitute for research, source verification or independent thought. It can help with phrasing, summarising and writing, but it never removes the need to return to the sources, check the facts and exercise one’s own judgement. It can also support some people with learning difficulties—for example, by rephrasing instructions, offering a different explanation, structuring a text or making it accessible through speech. These uses do not replace educational support or appropriate accessibility tools, but they show why it is worth exploring what AI can offer each person according to their needs.

Youth AI Lab operates precisely in this space between fascination, concern and the need to understand. Through hands-on experiments in four European labs, the project invites young people to observe, use and question AI systems. The aim is neither to celebrate every technological novelty nor to fuel catastrophist narratives. Instead, we seek to build a set of reference points for understanding how these tools work, how they are used and where their limits lie.

We therefore advocate an approach to AI that goes beyond technical mastery of a tool or learning a few “good prompts”. Understanding generative AI means learning to question where an answer comes from, verify its content and recognise the uncertainties it may conceal behind convincing language. It means applying critical thinking to a machine that produces plausible content without necessarily producing the truth. Finally, it means examining the economic, political, social and environmental choices that shape both its design and its deployment.

This first newsletter presents the initial stages of Youth AI Lab and the resources already available on our website. Through experiments, lessons from the field and open educational tools, the project aims to give young people, mentors and education teams practical ways to observe, use and question AI. The goal is not to provide a definitive answer about what AI should be, but to offer methods and resources for approaching it with curiosity, discernment and responsibility.

With this first issue, we invite you to join us on this journey: experiment to understand, challenge to question, and share to learn. Enjoy the read.