The autumn conference “VHS and AI – Pretty Good Friends?” of the Major City Adult Education Centres in Germany, Austria and Switzerland will take place from 26 to 28 November in Duisburg with around 50 participants. The focus is on how adult education centres can shape the rapid development of artificial intelligence and use it strategically for their educational work. Lectures, discussion rounds and thematic forums will highlight opportunities, challenges and practice-oriented approaches for adult education. The event will take place at the Duisburg Adult Education Centre (VHS) and at the Campus Marxloh education centre and will be complemented by an exchange with local educational actors.
Dr. Matthias Begenat, Head of the Science Communication Department at CAIS, will open the 2025 Major City Conference on 26 November with an impulse lecture on the topic “Should We Prompt Education? AI in Adult Education Between Societal Challenges and Practical Application.” The questions he raises in his lecture will form the starting point for the subsequent fishbowl discussion on the questions: What societal challenges does AI bring? What does this mean for adult education centres? How are teaching and learning changing? How can we integrate AI strategically into organisations? He will also take part in the discussion. Other participants are Kordula Attermeyer (State Chancellery NRW, Head of the Department “Digital Society, Media Competence”) and Jan Schoofs (Head of the Department for Digital Governance and Administrative Development, City of Duisburg). The discussion will be moderated by Stefan Jagsch, Head of Innovation & International Affairs at VHS Vienna.