FFG ‘Talente regional’ · Upper Austria · from the 2026/27 school year

Trustworthy AI: understand it better — and use it responsibly.

TRUST-AI4Schools empowers students from primary to upper-secondary level to understand artificial intelligence, question it critically and use it responsibly. Scientifically supported and free of charge.

Get involved Further resources
6–19 years up to 1,000 students Upper Austria Participation free of charge
UnderstandHow does AI work — and what makes it trustworthy?
DevelopFrom idea to your own reliable AI prototype.
ApplyUsing AI responsibly, sustainably and inclusively.
Project start
2026/27 school year
Duration
until September 2028
Region
Upper Austria
Funding
FFG ‘Talente regional’ (BMIMI)
The project

AI has arrived in everyday school life. Understanding it is the real task.

Generative AI like ChatGPT has long been part of everyday life for many children and young people. But not every AI answer is correct, fair or trustworthy. This is exactly where TRUST-AI4Schools comes in: the project helps young people understand AI systems, recognise their limits and use them consciously, safely and self-determinedly — instead of following them blindly.

From primary school to upper-secondary level, students develop core AI skills in an age-appropriate way. They learn to recognise hallucinations, to question bias, write good prompts and check AI results against sources and their own thinking. The resource-efficient use of AI — known as green prompting — is also part of the learning journey.

The focus is not on the fastest possible use, but on a reflective, responsible approach. This way, students become not just users of AI, but competent shapers of an AI-driven future.

The consortium

Research and industry hand in hand

Three complementary partners from Upper Austria.

Scientific lead

IT:U Austria

it-u.at ↗

Interdisciplinary Transformation University Austria — GeoSocial AI Research Group. Didactics and scientific accompanying research.

Industry partner

506 Data & Performance

506.ai ↗

AI software development from Linz. Contributes the protected ‘CompanyGPT School Edition’ plus prompting and RAG expertise.

Industry partner · Diversity

INCHSTONE

inchstone.com ↗

Industrial IoT & AI development plus diversity lead with a focus on encouraging girls in technology.

The three-pillar approach

Understand · Develop · Apply

A continuous learning path that combines theory, hands-on development and critical reflection — age-appropriate and scientifically grounded.

Pillar 1 · Lead IT:U

Understand

‘How do foundation models work — and what is trustworthy AI?’

  • Basics of AI & foundation models, explained age-appropriately
  • Recognising and assessing hallucinations and bias
  • The dimensions of trustworthy AI (EU ethics guidelines)
  • Examples from GeoSocialAI, e.g. Social Media Analysis
Pillar 2 · Lead 506

Develop

‘From idea to a trustworthy prototype.’

  • Prompt engineering and deliberate model choice
  • Building your own AI learning assistants in a protected environment
  • Factual accuracy through RAG (source-based AI)
  • Green prompting for resource-efficient use
Pillar 3 · Lead INCHSTONE

Apply & reflect

‘Responsible and inclusive use of AI.’

  • Inquiry-based learning with the senseBox® and IoT
  • A mini research process in small groups
  • Recognising bias, discussing ethical questions
  • Female role models & targeted support for girls
Skills

What students take away

Concrete, transferable skills for a responsible approach to AI — in class and beyond.

Recognise hallucinations

Spot AI answers that are factually wrong but sound convincing.

Question bias

Detect prejudices in data and outputs and assess them critically.

Write good prompts

Communicate with AI systems clearly, precisely and efficiently.

Check sources

Verify AI results with evidence and your own thinking.

green prompting

Understand the energy use of AI and act resource-efficiently.

Create for yourself

Build your own AI learning assistants and experience research first-hand.

Primary school ages 6–10

Playful discovery: human vs. machine, first robot and VR experiences.

Lower secondary ages 10–14

Hands-on AI: understanding prompts and context, seeing through fake news.

Upper secondary ages 14–19

Going deeper: critically analysing how it works, ethics, data protection and energy use.

Programmes & formats

Many ways to grasp AI

A three-part workshop series per class — complemented by additional formats throughout the school year.

Workshop series

Three workshops building on each other (Understand · Develop · Apply) per class, at school or in the Digital City Studio.

Green-Prompting Bootcamps

An optional add-on during the summer holidays — open to interested young people from all over Austria. At the partner companies or in the Digital City Studio, from 7 participants.

Girls-Only Coding Sessions

An optional add-on during the summer holidays in the Digital City Studio, open to interested girls from all over Austria — guided by a female role model.

Family AI Literacy

An open add-on in the Digital City Studio: families explore AI together — multilingual and open to all.

Inquiry-based learning

Robo-dog, VR experiences and the senseBox® make abstract AI concepts tangible and hands-on.

AI-Future Hackathon

A big project finale where young people realise and present their ideas.

Project concept

The concept at a glance

Two school years, three pillars, one clear path — from piloting to the final hackathon.

Three-pillar model · Citizen Science & Co-Creation

Understand

How does AI work?
What is trustworthy AI?

Lead: IT:U

Develop

From idea to prototype

Lead: 506

Apply

Using IoT & AI responsibly

Lead: INCHSTONE
Workshop series per class · 3 × 2 periods
WS 1 · Understand
2 periods

AI basics, GeoSocial AI examples

Delivered by: IT:U — school or Digital City Studio
WS 2 · Develop
2 periods

Prompting, CompanyGPT School Edition, learning assistants

Delivered by: 506 — school
WS 3 · Apply
2 periods

IoT, senseBox®, reflection

Delivered by: INCHSTONE — school
Project reach
5 partner schools
in Upper Austria (primary, lower & upper secondary)
50 classes
around 25 per school year
~1,000 students
over 2 school years

Plus up to 10 further schools across Austria through cooperation grants.

Explore & get involved

Topics, flashcards and resources in one place

Choose a topic on the left — from getting involved and the cooperation grant to trustworthy AI and further sources.

Become part of TRUST-AI4Schools

Whether at school, in class or at home — the project offers concrete programmes and open resources for everyone who supports children and young people in using AI responsibly.

1.000 €Cooperation grant

Get funding for your own AI projects

All educators across Austria can run their own AI projects — even without taking part in the workshops. Awarded on a ‘first come, first served’ basis.

Request the grant Learn more

Digital toolbox (OER)

Proven teaching modules, worksheets and guides — free to use and available on the Eduthek.

Free & voluntary

Taking part in workshops and formats is free for all students.

Safe & GDPR-compliant

A protected learning environment without real names — data protection and youth protection come first.

Multilingual & inclusive

Materials in German, Turkish and BCS among others; targeted support for girls and under-represented groups.

For the whole school community

Programmes for schools, classes and families — from workshops to Family AI Literacy.

Support & train-the-trainer

The project team supports implementation and strengthens the school’s profile in AI and digitalisation.

The project’s own digital toolbox will be published as an Open Educational Resource on the Eduthek during the project.

Research & impact

Backed by research — built for sustainability

The project’s impact is studied scientifically over two school years (mixed-methods evaluation). The materials developed will be made freely available as Open Educational Resources — based on the EU Ethics Guidelines for Trustworthy AI, the EU AI Act and the OECD AI Literacy Framework.

up to 1,000
students in around 50 classes
up to 15
schools – incl. cooperation-grant schools across Austria
2
school years of scientific support
OER
Free materials on the Eduthek
Contact

Let’s talk about AI at your school

We’d love to hear from you — about workshops, materials or the cooperation grant.

Project lead

Mag. Dr. Heidrun Mühle, MBA, M.Sc.IT:U — Interdisciplinary Transformation University Austria, Linz
heidrun.muehle@it-u.at
+43 676 851307 335
www.it-u.at

Cooperation grant (€1,000)

Run your own AI project. Ask about the criteria and process.

Request the grant

General enquiry

Interested in taking part, in workshops or materials? Write to us.

Get in touch