Northumbria University launches national AI challenge focused on young people’s futures

A new EPSRC-funded initiative invites 11–16-year-olds across the UK to imagine how artificial intelligence could shape learning, health, and the environment by 2050.

Northumbria University has launched a national AI challenge aimed at bringing young people directly into conversations about the future role of artificial intelligence, as debates around AI governance, education, and public trust continue to accelerate.

The Hopeful Futures AI Challenge invites students aged 11 to 16 from schools and youth organizations across the UK to explore how AI could contribute to positive outcomes in areas such as learning, health care, mental wellbeing, and the environment. Researchers behind the initiative say the project addresses a gap in current AI discourse, where the voices of those most affected by the technology’s long-term impact are often missing.

Giving young people a role in shaping AI futures

Led by researchers at Northumbria University, the challenge asks participants to imagine they have been commissioned by a fictional Global Future Tourism Board to promote life in 2050 to people living today. Teams are invited to create outputs such as travel brochures, blogs, videos, or social media campaigns that present a hopeful vision of the future enabled by AI.

Submissions must focus on one of three themes: environmental futures, the future of learning, or health care, including mental health and wellbeing.

Project Lead Professor Pam Briggs from Northumbria University says: “Young people are growing up in a world where AI is increasingly shaping their education, healthcare, entertainment, and future careers, yet they're rarely asked what they want that future to look like. This challenge is about flipping that script and saying: your voice matters, your imagination matters, and we want to hear your hopes for how AI can make the world better.

“By focusing on real-world scenarios such as climate change and mental health and wellbeing, we're empowering young people to think critically and creatively about the role AI can play in solving the challenges that matter most to them and their generation.”

Selected entries will be curated into both virtual and physical exhibitions across the North East of England in March 2026. These will include a pop-up fictional travel agency showcasing young people’s visions of AI-enabled futures.

Part of a wider responsible AI program

The Hopeful Futures AI Challenge is supported by the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council and forms part of Northumbria University’s Citizen-Centred Artificial Intelligence initiative. The UKRI-funded program focuses on developing AI systems that are fair, transparent, and designed with public participation at their core.

Citizen-Centred Artificial Intelligence includes a doctoral training center and a broader responsible AI research hub, addressing challenges across education, health, and public services, with a strong emphasis on community engagement in the North East of England.