The ‘MARSS’ project aims to enhance everyday school life through a digital solution that reliably and transparently detects disinformation and socio-emotional manipulation, instils a sense of security in young people and strengthens their ability to think critically. Initially, an AI-based tool will be developed that analyses multimodal media content and provides users with clear feedback. This system will then be integrated into a school learning platform that provides teachers with practical materials and examples of how to use it. Alongside this, a network of schools, research institutions and civil society organisations is being established to support the development process through co-design methods and continuous evaluation.
In democratic societies, social media is increasingly being used to spread targeted disinformation and manipulative narratives that can influence public opinion and decision-making. Young people are particularly affected by this, as they regularly obtain information via social media and are thereby exposed to both factual and emotional disinformation. Their ability to critically evaluate information, recognise manipulation and use media responsibly must therefore be strengthened.
Building on existing research, the working group is developing its own approach to effectively combating (socio-emotional) disinformation in schools and the classroom. This approach will be refined iteratively and its effectiveness will be assessed and validated with regard to key variables. From the outset, the target group (teachers at general education schools and pupils) will be involved in the development of strategies to combat disinformation.
As part of the project, a hybrid educational programme is being developed which can be used directly in the classroom. All the materials and resources developed will be published under open licences to allow for the greatest possible flexibility in their reuse. To this end, a dedicated learning environment is being developed and will be made available to schools.
The project is developing a novel AI-based solution that not only identifies factual accuracy but also detects emotional manipulation strategies in media content and explains them in a way that is easy to understand. It combines state-of-the-art multimodal analysis technologies and explainable AI with educational concepts and ethical design to empower young people in a school setting to engage with digital information in a reflective, critical and sustainable manner. In close collaboration with the consortium partners, AI-based services for detecting socio-emotional disinformation are being integrated into the educational programme.
