Quest 2 Learn 2025
Beyond the AI hype, Building Radical Futures of Hope with Young People
Are young people actively deciding the future they want to inhabit, or are they passively accepting the AI future being pushed on them?
Artificial Intelligence isn’t around the corner, it’s already here. The foundations of our collective AI futures are being laid in the present by a handful of people. But where are the voices of those who will live longest with these consequences?
At Q2L 2025, we're taking a pause to ask: How equipped are we, as individuals, communities, and institutions, to reflect on AI futures being presented, to question them, and to explore alternatives? What capacities do we need to push back against futures we don't want, and actively create the ones we do?
More importantly: where do young people stand? What are their concerns, anxieties, dreams, and hopes when they think about futures with AI?
The questions
we are asking
Youth Agency
in AI Futures
Young people are consumers, creators, and challengers of AI. How do we shift them from passive users to active shapers of technology?
Role of Education
systems
How do we reimagine educational institutions, not just curricula? How do educational institutions prepare young people to become critical thinkers? In a new media world, what role does education play?
Ecosystem
Collaboration
What alliances are required to build young people’s preferred futures together? Which peripheral innovations, policy and advocacy changes can help us move towards these visions?
Critical Engagement
with AI
Moving away from the AI hype, we ask critical questions - who gets represented in the dominant AI narratives and who doesn't? Which stories and problems are prioritized and which are left out?
Futures Thinking
Pedagogy
How do we empower young people to imagine radical alternatives to current tech trajectories? What methods do they need to navigate uncertain AI futures, push back against unwanted scenarios, and actively create the futures they want?
Future
Skills
What dispositions, knowledge, and skills do young people need to build equitable AI futures in an uncertain world?
Call for
Sessions
We are in a crisis of imagination. We have to begin to think in different ways. To imagine alternate just and inclusive futures. Collectively. We need to craft new stories, images, and ways of interacting.
We have to question our present, challenge our assumptions and collective imagine futures that young people would want to inhabit.
Therefore, we invite you to co-create this gathering with us. Apply for a session that fits in any horizon and take forward the discussion you want to foster.
Our Approach:
3 Horizons of change
We aim to create a brave, creative and participatory space, co-created with young people in India, to challenge our assumptions about futures and explore ways to make young people’s desired futures a reality.
The three horizons approach aids us in questioning our past and the present; and helps us define our collective desired future visions.
We believe that the seeds of change are already present in the current system, all that we need is a collective movement, a gathering like this to spot and identify these signals, explore together and make them mainstream!
First Horizon
As the world changes, aspects of business-as-usual begin to feel out of place or no longer fit for purpose. In this horizon we explore what's not working anymore.
Read moreSecond Horizon
Horizon 2 is the time between the present and the future.Here we will inquire about innovations, frameworks, and values that can push us toward desired futures.
Read moreThird Horizon
Here we will inquire and explore alternate possibilities. How can young people meaningfully co-create the AI futures they want? What would equitable AI actually look like?
Read moreExpress your interest
Are you working on bold ideas that challenge dominant narratives, center youth voices and reimagine education, skilling or AI development? We are inviting proposals and partnerships for sessions at Quest 2 Learn 2025. You can host a session in the format of a workshop, panel, fireside chat, an exhibition dialogue space or an intergenerational dialogue.
We are offering a limited number of merit-based travel scholarships. To apply, please write to us at q2l@questalliance.net with a brief note outlining your interest and need.
applications - 31st August
How will
proposals be evaluated?
Youth-centricity
- Is the design youth-centric?
- Does it acknowledge the importance of youth voices?
Originality & Challenge
to Dominant Narratives
- Does it challenge dominant narratives or supports the status quo?
- Does it focus on a new idea or a fresh take on a new issue?
Participatory &
Co-Creative Design
- Is the session participatory and co-created with diverse stakeholders?
- Does it prioritize participant experience?
- Does it feature perspectives from different communities?
Interconnected &
Systems Thinking
Futures
Oriented
- Is the session futures oriented and actively centering futures?
- Does it privilege long term thinking and not short-term solutionism?
Three Horizon
alignment
- Is it falling in line with the 3 horizon framework?
Actionability &
Impact Potential
- Is it solution oriented and aims to move towards action?
Join Us
Be a part of this exploration of AI, education and youth agency. Let’s build futures that are inclusive, hopeful and led by those who will live them.
Who can attend
Quest 2 Learn 2025?
- Funders and Philanthropists
- Youth leaders and educators
- Policy makers and government
- AI practitioners and technologists
- Civil society organizations
- Designers and learning practitioners
Quest 2 Learn
over the years
Quest 2 Learn (Q2L) is Quest Alliance’s annual flagship summit that brings together young people, educators, civil society leaders, technologists, and policymakers to reimagine learning, work, and the future. In past editions, Q2L has explored themes like digital learning, gender equity, and career readiness, spotlighting youth voices and showcasing innovative solutions.
Q2L 2023 focused on “Reimagining Learning for the 21st Century”, featuring youth-led sessions, keynotes, and interactive exhibits. Each year, the summit continues to challenge the status quo and spark bold conversations around building just, regenerative futures. Q2L 2025 is the 7th such edition of the event. Know more about Q2L over the past years.
Why
Bangalore?
From the periphery of Bangalore, the Silicon Valley of India, we're asking ourselves to pause and reflect amidst this AI hype. At the margins of the AI boom, we aim to co-create desired futures that are more just and inclusive.
About Quest Learning Observatory (QLO):
A visionary space dedicated to crafting a sustainable future, QLO draws inspiration from nature and play, to reimagine a collaborative learning space where everyone can co-create and build regenerative models for tomorrow.