On the 16th of January 2025, Wimbledon’s Ursuline High School Sixth Form hosted a conference on the theme of ‘Democracy and Truth in a World of Social Media and AI’. Year 12 and Year 13 students from Raynes Park High, Wimbledon College, Ricards, Rutlish, Ursuline Ilford, and City of London Academy joined the conference, as well as year 12 and 13 Politics students from Ursuline Sixth Form Wimbledon.
The day aimed to not only inform students about the exponential expansion of the role AI plays in our lives, but also to discuss the way forward in our increasingly automated world, especially in the context of global and domestic politics.
The conference was led by student leaders from the Ursuline’s Year 12 Politics A Level class and was organised by the Director for Extended Learning and Enrichment Coordinator, Mrs Harrison. TEAM Global, a charity that seeks to foster conversation between future generations and current world leaders, supported the event and Loredana Roberts chaired the conference. Mr Kelly, the Headteacher of Ursuline Wimbledon, opened the conference with a welcome address.
The first session of the day was a discussion with Members of Parliament and local councillors talking about their path into politics, and their roles in public life. The panel included Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, a Conservative peer in the House of Lords, Paul Kohler, the Liberal Democrat MP for Wimbledon, Siobhan McDonagh, the Labour MP for Mitcham and Morden, and Sheri-Ann Bhim, an Ursuline alumnus and now a Labour councillor in Merton. They each gave a short talk on how they got into politics, followed by a panel Q&A where the students were able to directly ask members of the panel questions about their own experience and the wider world of politics in the UK.
Ben Shields was the first keynote speaker. He is the founder and CEO of Know-ME.ai, a company which seeks to enhance the education of history through interactive video experiences. His talk highlighted the history of innovation and institutions harking back to the industrial revolution. He made the point that it is important for governments to embrace AI and advancing technologies early on so that institutions don’t fall behind innovation.
Jonathan Gifford, a media, crisis and strategic communications expert who works in the Cabinet Office, was the next speaker. He involved the audience in a short quiz, testing their knowledge of the AI industry. Gifford also made an interesting and thought provoking point about the overconfidence of youth, being the ‘digital generation’, in their abilities in spotting fake news and AI.
Paulette Watson MBE then joined the conference online. Watson is the founder and director of Academy Achievers, and the author of ‘She Disrupts: A Black Woman’s Journey in STEM and AI Industries’. Watson included an interactive element within her talk. Through a QR code students were able to access a poll, they were asked questions pertaining to AI and social media. This sparked discussions where Watson asked students to explain their reasoning behind their opinions. The practice of explaining your thinking is one which is vital in politics, being able to develop this in the conference was extremely beneficial for the students.
The students then partook in a debate run by Tom Rattner and Daniel Brookes who are both from the English Speaking Union, an organisation that aims to give young people the ability to make their voices heard through working with schools to develop speaking and listening skills. The motion was “This House believes that social media and AI are a force for good for Democracy”, with students from each of the schools taking part in a robust debate. Peace, from City of London Academy, won the debate. Emilia, from Ursuline Wimbledon, said “I really liked how we had speakers that were experienced in debating as it helped develop my own debating skills and it showed me how to engage in a formal debate.”
The conference was an amazing opportunity for students to gain new understanding into different careers that politics offers as well as providing a space for networking and the building of industry connections. It offered both interesting and important insights into the world of AI and the everchanging world of politics. The conference also allowed for a sharing of ideas between students, something which, being in different classrooms at different schools, is difficult but vital to fostering discussion and debate. Erin, from Ursuline Wimbledon, described the conference as “a great experience and it was very eye-opening to hear from a range of people with different political views”.
AI will impact the rest of our lives and has already fundamentally changed the way we interact with technology, and we need to understand its consequences. The Ursuline Sixth Form Conference opened this debate, but we can’t let it end here. It is essential that we continue, as the future global leaders, to critically think about AI and its consequences.
Lucy Daniel, a Year 12 student at Ursuline High School Sixth Form, is pursuing A Levels in Politics, History, and English Literature. She played a key role as a student leader at the Ursuline High School conference.
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